Pokemon: Masquerade
by VergilGray
Summary: Discontinued, being reworked into a reboot!
1. The First Step (revised)

Kirie: the region of beauty and the land where dreams come to fruition. Many different Pokemon had roamed this great continent, though none of them new to foreigners.

They traveled through the great sea that parted the region, through the rocky mountains, and through the stunning green pastures.

Many trainers have failed on the road to the Kirei League, but only a handful have succeeded in the long run.

The Crimson Congregation was the goal of these many trainers. They wanted to reach the Elite Four and utterly decimate them, but no one even came close. Kirei's elite four was even too much for the surrounding regions.

But, this isn't the story of the fearsome might of the Kirei League. This is the story of three young men's treacherous journey throughout the region, learning about it and themselves as they move through it.

Our story takes place in a small town, with houses lying along a dirt road and on top of green fields, with various creatures running through the tall grass. This is Middleleaf Town, the home of one of our heroes, a sixteen year old.

/

As the TV blared a boy's feet dangling off the edge of his bed, his hands on his cheeks as he stares intently at the television set in front of him.

This is Josh, who has the goal of one day becoming the champion of Kirei. His eyes are adjusting to the screen, watching as a slender man with long brown hair and a labcoat discuss the three starter pokemon that they can obtain.

"Tomorrow is the day that three new trainers can pick up their starter pokemon," the professor said, looking at his curious assistant with a gleeful smile, "I bet you're wondering just what they are- hm, do you have a question, uh.. Igor?"

"Yes, um, what _are _the pokemon they'll be obtaining Professor Maple?" Igor asked, rubbing his hands together nervously.

'Well, I'll show you!" Professor Maple suddenly pulled a curtain to his left, revealing pictures of the starter pokemon.

The first picture showed a baby-sized pokemon standing on two light brown feet which both have two large white toe-like appendages sticking out of them. It has a small body that is colored with a light brown, as well as having three dark brown triangles on the right, left, and top of its head. It has a light green helmet surrounding its head, having four green leave-like appendages on each side. On the top of its helmet, however, have three green leaves connected to the top of its head. Its two arms are oddly colored a very dark brown, as well as being a bit limp. On its backside is a short green tail with an orange tip.

"This is Chespin, a grass type pokemon! Chespin is usually for beginners, as it is very easy to tame! I recommend this one as he is very, uh.. happy and laidback!" Professor Maple said, walking to the next picture.

Standing on four tiny paws was a bright yellow fox the same size of Chespin, having two bright fiery red eyes with black irises that looked like slits rather than a circle. Bright yellow fur covered most of Fennekin's small body, the only exceptions being the tip of its tail which was a bright red, the tufts of red hair sticking out of its ears, and the lower half of its face being white.

"This is Fennekin, a fire type pokemon! Fennekin is usually really wild, and is hard to take control of! Only choose Fennekin if you are confident in your abilities!" Professor Maple instructed, strolling to the last photo.

The third and the very last pokemon had been slightly shorter than Chespin, its body being a bright sky blue color. Around its neck was a cloud of white fluff, covering most of its back. Its nose were two fluffy white balls, with a dark blue stripe between its huge, yellow eyes with black irises. Its arms were very lanky, though its hands resembled gloves.

"Finally, this is Froakie, a water type pokemon! Froakie is a very loyal Pokemon, which will grow attached to most people! It is very persistent in battle!" Professor Maple crossed his arms, smiling towards the camera, "There you have it. I hope so many kids come and take a pokemon of their own in Middleleaf Town! See you then!"

Josh flicked his thumb onto the remote's power button, turning the tv off within an instant. Rolling over, he stretched his legs across the bed while he yawned loudly.

"Froakie.. I'm not a beginner, and I guess I'm not too experienced.. Froakie sounds perfect for me. I don't think I'll even be able to sleep tonight.." Josh slowly closed his eyes, only for a loud knocking to fill his ears.

Picking himself up off from the bed, he parted his curtains that covered the window, attempting to get a good look at what was making the noise.

When the curtains were out of the way, he looked down to see a boy with light brown skin tapping at his window, his innocent hazel eyes looking up at Josh, as if they were pleading.

The boy had been wearing a green cap, having an orange t-shirt and blue jeans that seemed a bit too big for him. He also had a blue backpack on.

With a sigh, Josh opened his window up without a second to spare, pulling the boy inside. "Danny, what are you doing? You should be asleep!"

"I'm sorry, I couldn't sleep. I'm just too excited!" Danny exclaimed, rolling across the floor as he held his arms close to his chest, "I can't wait to get a Chespin of my own!"

Josh only chuckled warmly, extending his hand to Danny and quickly pulled him up to his feet, "Good grief.. well, how did you get out of your house in the first place?"

"I climbed out my window," Danny answered bluntly, laughing nervously as sweat rolled down his cheek, "I left a note for my parents saying I was going to your house though. I just couldn't handle waiting!"

Josh sighed, stepping towards his closet which seemed to be somewhat free of objects, aside from the clothes hanging towards the top. On the bottom was a blanket with a pillow stacked on top.

"Well, you can sleep in here or on the floor, your choice." Josh informed him, sitting back on his bed, running his hands underneath his pillow, "Night, Danny."

"Uh.. night, Josh.." Danny replied, managing to withhold his protests as he brought the blanket and the pillow out, setting them next to Josh's bed, slowly laying his head onto the pillow.

It had only been a few minutes before Danny gripped his friend's shoulders, shaking him excitedly as Josh's eyes peeled open.

"Danny? What are you do-"

"I'm so excited, like, Chespin has that little cute helmet and those little spikes, oh gosh Josh I'm so excited!" Danny shook wildly, thrilled by the thought of just having a partner.

"You know what else is fun? The quiet game." Josh bluntly replied, watching as Danny sort of sank back to the floor, "Ah.. sorry. I just need to sleep, Danny."

"Right.. night, Josh!"

"Night."

/  
Josh's eyes slowly peeled themselves open, the sun's light breaching into his room through his curtains, but not before being blocked by something.

On the edge of bed had been Danny, his two eyes being bloodshot as he shook Josh's shoulders violently.

"D-Danny! What are you doing?" Josh asked, a bit irritated and yet freaked out at the same time, all the while staring into Danny's blank expression.

"Let's go, let's go, let's go!" Danny chanted excitedly, pulling Josh out of his bed as he ran towards the door.

"Wait, let me get dressed! DANNY!" Josh practically screamed, smacking Danny's arm to try and bring him back to his senses.

Danny's eyes suddenly closed and opened repeatedly, waking up from his trance, "Oh. R-right.. do that, then." He stuttered, stepping outside without a moment's hesitation.

/  
Josh stepped outside of his room, in a newly washed black t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans, as well as his somewhat worn out sneakers. He also had a duffel bag around his arm.

"Oh, you're ready! Let's hurry, then! I can't wait any more!" Danny hopped onto his two feet, rushing down the stairs only to meet an older woman's face, her brown hair covering one of her eyes.

"Uh, when did Danny get here?" The woman asked, placing her hand on her hip as she stared at Josh.

"Long story, but," Josh answered, chuckling nervously before glancing at the door, "We want to go and get our pokemon. I didn't think about saying goodbye."

"Ahh, okay.." his mom sighed, planting a quick kiss on his cheek, "I believe in you, Josh! I'll be rooting for you all the way to the Pokemon League! You too, Danny, you'll do great things."

"Thank you, miss Ryota! We'll do our best!" Danny thanked her with a bow, sprinting out the door as Josh followed, waving goodbye before shutting the door.

/

The two young boys had walked along the dirt road that had slowly been leading them to the professor's lab, which was coming into sight as Danny began to shake uncontrollably once more.

"Oh man, I'm so happy, I really hope Chespin isn't taken!" Danny said aloud, rushing forward as if to leave Josh in the dust, but he ran forward as well.

As the two boys ran to the laboratory, the door swung open and they could see the professor, who seemed to be looking at them, but quickly lost his balance on the steps. "Oh no, oh shit-"

Josh and Danny both hurried along, helping him put his foot back onto the top step as he gave each of them a grateful smile.

"Could've broken your nose there, Professor." Josh said, crossing his arms as he looked towards the taller man.

"Y-yeah, sorry," Professor Maple said with a goofy smile, though he took notice of Danny's visible shaking, "You sure look excited. You're welcome to come in!"

Danny only smiled, absolutely speechless as he stepped inside of the professor with his friend following behind. The light through the windows had been lighting up the lab, and it looked rather colorless and dull.

Though, that isn't what intrigued the two, as their eyes followed Professor Maple to a small table, though it only had two pokeballs on it.

"Here we are," Professor Maple said, picking up the two pokeballs, "Fennekin was taken this morning, so I'm sorry if any of you boys were interested in taking him. Froakie and Chespin are still up for grabs, though!"

"Perfect," Josh replied, holding out his hand, "I'd like Froakie, I think he might be the one for me."

"Of course, and that means you get Chespin, Danny. Is that okay?" Professor Maple questioned, handing the two their respective pokeballs.

"It's more than okay! Chespin is the cutest, and he's just so amazing and- sorry, I'll stop, but thank you so much!" Danny thanked him profusely, pressing the button on his pokeball as the small mole pokemon seeped out from the beam of light that shot straight out of it, the same with Josh's, as the blue frog pokemon came out as well.

Chespin's wide eyes stared up at Danny, before giving him a smile which showcased his small set of teeth. "Chespiiin!"

"He's as cute as I thought he would be!" Danny smiled, picking up his new friend and looking at him with pure fire in his eyes, "I'm your new friend, Chespin. I know we'll get along!"

Froakie stared at Josh curiously before hopping up his body, and finally resting on his shoulder as it cried happily. "Froakie!"

"Heh.. I guess we're gonna be best friends from now on, Froakie. You're with the future champion of Kirei right now." Josh said confidently, rubbing his amphibian friend's head encouragingly.

"You boys sure get attached easily," Professor Maple said, smiling warmly at the two, "You should head off, but here's some advice. Between here and Skyheart City is a forest, so it's best that you take the safest route. I heard there's a Joltik infestation, so watch your step. Especially you, Josh, since you have a water type."

"Right! Thank you, Professor." Josh nodded in appreciation, walking towards the door with Froakie still on his shoulder.

"I'm coming! Come on, Chespin!" Danny cheered to his pokemon, walking to the door as well as he set Chespin behind his neck, his tiny feet hanging off his shoulders.

The door shut, leaving the boys to go to their first destination on their journey, as the sun slowly began to rise into the clear blue sky.


	2. Wanderers

Night had befallen the two not too long after, the cold slowly creeping up on them as they huddled around a small fire they had managed to put together, "I kinda wish Fennekin was there, now..." Josh mumbled.

"Don't say that! That's mean..." Danny said, a bit of a whine to his voice as he stared off into the woods, the fire's crackling filling his ears, accompanied by the sound of wild Pokemon.

"Say, Danny," Josh said, "What's your goal? For this journey, I mean. You know I'm taking the Gym challenge, so what about you?"

"I'm glad you asked," Danny replied, rubbing his hands together in an attempt to gather warmth, "Have you heard of the Pokelympics?"

Josh shook his head, "Not really, no. Explain?" He wrapped his arms around his knees, yawning briefly as Danny stood up.  
"You see, the Pokelympics take place in four different areas in the Kirei region. In each area, depending on your abilities as a pokemon trainer or with your Pokemon, you go through certain tests - you can have four gold medals to pass, two silver, two gold, but none can be bronze. Tests include things like, erm, flying, swimming," Danny said, quickly catching a breath, plummeting back down next to Josh.

Josh rubbed the back of his head, "That sounds like a pretty tough challenge. Well, I'll be following you wherever you go."  
The bushes rustled.

"Gee, thanks ma-"

"What was that?" Josh asked, interrupting his friend as he looked both ways, his eyes studying every crevice and corner.

Tiny feet pattered around the two, going around the fire as Josh caught a glimpse of its yellow tail bobbing up and down, snatching one of their bags, its head buried deep in it.

The tiny yellow rat's head poked up, its black beady eyes staring up at Josh and Danny cutely, its black-pointed yellow ears twitching a bit. "Pika?"

"I don't need a pokedex to know what that is," Josh grinned, looking at the Pikachu from across the fire, "Have a thing for stealing stuff, huh?"

He stood up, the grin glued to his face with each passing second, its ears twitchig constantly as he picked a pokeball from his bag.

A different pokeball was flung towards the yellow rodent, only for it to bat it away with its tail, "You're mine!"  
Josh looked a bit further from the fire, a boy with short black hair staring at the pokemon, his Fennikin standing by his leg.  
"What the hell? That Pikachu is mine!" Josh had yelled at him, only for the trainer to march over to him, a frustrated look on his face.

He scowled as he approached Josh, mere centimeters from each other as he took a deep breath, "It's wild. Besides, I found it first, loser!"

Josh shoved at the boy, his pokeball still in hand as the rodent looked back and forth between the two, "Pika?"

"Stay out of this!" The boy screamed at the poor thing, its ears drooping as it wagged its tail before running off into the nearby woods.  
Before anything could be said, Josh shoved the trainer aside and chased after the rodent, Danny following close behind.

"Come on, Fennikin!" The trainer called his Pokemon, its tiny feet clinging to his shoulder as he charged right behind the two.

Josh sprinted, though something had kept him from going any further, something bouncing against his skin.

The web extended across dozens of the trees, "Danny, stop running!" Josh had yelled at him, but to no avail - his friend fell into the web as well.

He could hear the patter of legs move from the trees, his eyes looking up to spot a spider-like Pokemon.

The trainer wasn't too far from the trees, withdrawing his pokedex and holding it up infront of the pokemon.  
_Galvantula, the tarantula Pokemon. When attacked, they create an electric barrier by spitting out many electrically charged threads._

"Hey! Are you gonna help us? Please!" Danny had pleaded at the boy, spotting him as he set his device down.

"Guess I have no choice," He said, smirking as he sighed. A part of him doubted he could take down such a beast, "Fennikin, show them just what you can do with me!"  
Fennikin nodded, jumping from his partner's shoulder and spitting out several small fireballs, the embers shooting towards the critter.

Galvantula's spitters had shot out string, connecting it at a very high speed, sparks coursing through the entirety of the web, though the embers were weakened, they managed to break through.

Expecting it to cry out in pain, Joey was throughly disappointed, the embers only giving it small burns on top of its forehead. It shook its head, "Galv..."

He could hear it mumble its name menacingly, "Fennikin, return!" He shouted, recalling his starter, "This may be a better idea.."

He picked out his second pokeball, tossing it and releasing his only other Pokemon. Its two green feet spread apart on the ground, its scythe like hands preparing for battle as it eyes squinted, "Scythah!"

"Quick attack!" He commanded his faithful pokemon, it picked itself off from the ground and sped towards the spider pokemon, slicing through the web with ease.

Scyther slammed its side into the Galvantula, though to no avail. The enemy simply shrugged off the attack, a ball forming in front of its face, its fur standing up from the electrical current.

"Scyther, try to dodge it!" Scyther nodded, jumping away from his opponent at a rapid rate, the ball being fired towards the insect.

"Scyth!" It cried out, crossing its scythe-like appendages in an attempt to defend itself. A sharp cry of pain left its mouth, the ball moving against its abdomen, causing electrical currents to course through its body.

"SCYTHER! Are you okay?" He rushed over to his Pokemon, but it tried to keep him back, holding out its scythes, "Scyther..."

Galvantula's feet pattered against the ground, calling out as it began to look in both directions, "Gal! Galvan!"

"What's it doing?" Josh had wondered, a bit amazed at how that Scyther could endure an attack like that.

"I don't like the sound of this," Danny said, hearing the pattering of dozens of other feet.

"Joltik!" Voices cried out, and practically tinier versions of the Galvantula had approached the Scyther, each with a ball of electricity being charged up.

"We're done. There's no way we can win this." The trainer said, looking around with a hopeless look in his eyes. They would surely die here.

But, to his surprise, a pokemon dashed from above. Its wings smashed against the Joltik at a rapid speed, tossing them back at the mother.  
"Great job Noivern," a man had said, and the three had looked at who was in front of them, he stood there, in-between the Galvantula and the boy.

He said said, "You guys alright?"

He appeared to be from the north, dressed in an odd attire. That place was known for a violent tribe, but could this be one of them?

"Y-yeah.. thanks. Who are you?" Josh asked, the Noivern cutting the web apart with its wings, allowing Josh and Danny to both stretch in relief.

"My name is Samuel, who might you be?" He said, smiling as he looked at the trainer behind him, aiding to his Scyther.

"I'm Joey," the boy said.

"I'm Josh," Josh had informed him, "And this is Danny, my friend."

"I'd like to get to know you, but there are more important matters at hand," Samuel said, turning to the mother of the Joltik, "Galvantula never attack without reason. I don't think it's a matter of territory, as they're relatively peaceful.."

The Galvantula charged towards the man, only for his Noivern to stop it in his tracks with almost little-to-no effort.

"I really love Galvantula, but I can't let it hurt kids," He said, stepping forward, "Noivern, use air slash!"

Noivern nodded, his wings glowing as they pushed against the tarantula Pokemon, its wings digging into the skin a bit, pushing it into the neighboring tree.

The tree itself began to creak, becoming unstable as Noivern finally threw its enemy, the towering tree leaning now.

Galvantula shot a beam of charged electricity at Samuel's pokemon, "Hurricane, but keep it controlled!"

Noivern began to flap its wings back and forth, a wind stirring up as the three trainers clung to a nearby tree. The wind picked up outrageously, the leaning tree being rooted up, the Galvantula being tossed around in the air carelessly.

Samuel turned back to the group, the winds dying quickly as the pokemon was thrown out of sight. "Great job, Noivern," he said, returning it to its pokeball.

Josh turned his back, hearing a twig snap, "What was that?" he asked aloud, the Pikachu coming out from one of the trees, "There you are, you little-"

He began to sprint towards it, but the look on its face was that of sadness. A hand picked it up by its tail, dangling it carelessly. "Well well, what do we have here?"

"What are you doing to that poor pokemon?!" Danny asked demandingly, studying the man's... odd uniform.

He was wearing a tuxedo and black dress pants, with black dress shoes to match. He wore black gloves, and an odd mask on his face. It had two large eye holes, and it guarded his nose and most of his features above his chin. "Nothing at all. Though, I am a bit appalled - you put an end to my fun!"

"Fun?" Joey wondered, "Wait, do you mean the whole deal with the Galvantula?" he asked, clenching his fists.

"Of course, boy," the man said, "Testing Pokemon out for M'lady. There's no other way to do it."

"You're testing Pokemon by attacking people? But it has no trainer! What could you have possibly done to make it help YOU?" Joey demanded to know, gritting his teeth in frustration.

"I didn't do anything. And besides, why would I tell you? You're just a couple of brats - but don't think for a second that you're getting off scott free!" The man smiled a bit too confidently, drawing out his pokeball, "Go, Houndour!"

Houndour's skin is mostly a black color, aside from its jaw and underbelly, which are an orange color. It stands on four legs, which have four white 'rings' wrapped around them. It has rib-like ridges laying on its back, a simple skull between its eyes.

Josh had withdrawn his pokedex from his bag quickly, holding up to the Houndoom from afar.

_Houndour, the hellhound Pokemon. Around dawn, its ominous howl echoes through the area to announce that this is its territory._

"I got this," Josh said, tossing out his pokeball and releasing his starter, Froakie, "Froakie, this is our first battle! We can beat this scumbag!"

"Are you really just gonna let him fight that punk, Samuel?" Danny asked, his teeth clenched as he gave Samuel a look, as if he was crazy.

"Let him do his thing. I believe he knows what he's doing." Samuel said, crossing his arms and grinning.

"A child is going to fight me? This isn't even going to be a challenge," he smirked devilishly, pointing his gloved finger at the Froakie, "Use bite and tear that kid to shreds!"

Houndour's teeth were now showing, and they were almost razor sharp. Its maw opened, revealing the full set as it jumped at Froakie, "Use bubble!"

"Froak!" Froakie jumped away from Houndour, allowing it to impact into the ground, making it confused for a short time. It looked both ways, unexpected of the move. Froakie hung its head back for a moment, before it spat out bubbles at a rapid rate, the liquid popping against the Houndour's skin.

Houndour whined, but not before it growled. "Not out yet.. this is just the beginning, kiddie!" The man yelled, "Use ember!"  
"Are you stupid? Froakie is a water type!" Josh yelled, grinning as he moved back a few feet in preparation, "Froakie, bubble again! This time, take him out!"

Froakie nodded to his partner, his head being thrown back and spitting out the bubbles at a rapid rate once again. The embers were lost in the attack, the bubbles smacking against the Houndour's snout, causing it to shriek in pain.

Houndour ran back to its master, a slight limp from the pain it endured as it approached him. "What? How could you lose to a rookie?!"

"You obviously don't do enough training," Josh said, smirking confidently as the man trembled.

"... RETREAT!" He shouted, running from the Houndour which attempted to catch up with its master, the limp dragging it far behind.

The Pikachu had thankfully fallen from his grasp, its feet bringing it to Josh. "Oh, hey there, little guy." Josh bent down, the other three watching what he was doing.

"That was great for a first battle," Danny said, pride in his voice. Though Josh had the advantage, he was still only a rookie trainer.

Joey seemed relatively unimpressed, and Samuel only smiled as he watched Josh attempt to befriend the pokemon.

Pikachu bowed its head, maybe as a thank you, Josh had assumed. He placed his hand on its head, rubbing it affectionately, "How would you like to come with me?"

A hopeful look sprung up on the rodent's face, "Pika! Pikachu!" It cried out happily, crawling over to his bag and nudging one of his pokeballs.

"Heheh, alright, alright," Josh said, picking up the pokeball and tapping it on the mouse's forehead. It smiled before it vanished into the pokeball, "That was... exciting, to say the least!" he said, a smile on his face.

"Well, if you guys will excuse me," Joey said, looking over at Samuel, then Josh, "I'm going to be heading to Skyheart City. See you losers later."

As he walked away, Samuel approached Josh and put a hand on his shoulder delicately, "Your skills as a rookie are looking bright. I suggest you go to Skyheart as well. It holds the first gym. You may want to do some training first, though. Not all battles will be as easy."

"Right." Josh said, nodding with a smile.

And so, they said their goodbyes to their saviour that night.  
Next stop was Skyheart City.


	3. Head Over Heels

The sun was shining above the two young teenagers, the open field accompanying the dirt road they had been walking along.

Danny flipped through the pages of his guidebook, before stopping, "Ah!" He exclaimed, excitedly, "We don't appear to be that far from Skyheart City!"

Josh yawned, his bored eyes taking a look at Danny, "You sure about that? We've been on this road all damn day," his frustration got the better of his tone.

A loud cry could be heard in the distance, Josh's bored eyes suddenly widening as he quickly took a look at what was ahead.

On closer inspection, he could see three teenagers... two boys, and one girl, surrounding another girl.

One of the boys had been wearing a hat turned backwards, along with a pair of shorts that went up to his knees, and a grey tanktop.

The other boy wore a pair of blue jeans, which had been sagging just a bit, which was rather unpleasant.. he had also been wearing a red t-shirt, along with having short brown hair.

Finally, the girl wore a fairly short skirt, accompanied by a pair of fairly large boots, which seemed pretty strange. "That style doesn't fit at all," Josh said, noticing she had also had long, curly blonde hair.

"That isn't the point, Josh! We have to go help that girl!" Danny said, gritting his teeth and charging ahead.

"Hey, wait!" Josh called after him, chasing after the eager boy.

Danny plucked his pokeball off from his belt, tossing it and letting Chespin loose from his resting place.

"The hell is that guy doing?" One of the boys had asked, looking clueless, watching the Chespin charge ahead.

"Pokey, use vine whip!" Danny shouted, malice hinted in his voice as a whip extending from Chespin's tail and narrowly smacking the clueless boy in the face.

"Hey, watch your little monster!" The girl yelled, irritated as she plucked a pokeball from her necklace, "Go, Ralts!"

Ralts has green hair, shaped like a bowlcut with two flat horns sticking from each opposite side. Ralts has white skin, its feet are shown as if it's wearing an over-sized dress. Its hands have no fingers whatsoever, and has two red eyes under its hair.

"Confusion on that little freak!" She commanded, a hand being placed on her hip as she pointed at the enemy.

Ralts had a blue glow creep out from under its green bowl cut, a blue outline surrounding Chespin. "Pokey?!" Danny clenched his fists, "Snap out of it!" He yelled worriedly.

"It's not your worthless pokemon, boy," the girl said, having a devious look in her eyes as she stared right into Danny's, "Ralts is simply going to beat him with no mercy."

"What was that?!" All of their heads turned, seeing an old man approach the scene with a wolf-like pokemon by his side.

"Is that who I think it is?" The girl gritted her teeth, backing up as she got a good look at the beastly pokemon.

"Grandpa! Arcanine!" The victim cheered, running over to her grandpa to hide behind him, her hands clinging to his shirt.

"Thank God," Danny grinned, holding his Chespin in his arms, "You have a good rest." He pressed the button, sucking Pokey back into his resting place.

The massive beast growled at the menacing girl, its sharp teeth being shown as it attempted to approach her. "Put your mutt down, old man."

"I advise you to abstain from insulting my dear Arcanine. It isn't exactly... friendly," he took a short breath, his face having a rather stern expression, "Go away, you pests. If I catch you hurting my little princess again, I'll show your Pokemon no mercy."

"Y-yeah," one of the boys stuttered, "What he said! Let's get outta here!" He stumbled as he tried to run away, crawling away as the other boy followed.

"This isn't the last you'll see of me," she muttered under her breath, sprinting off with her two cohorts.

"Thank you so much," Danny said, standing up now as he hooked the pokeball onto his belt, bowing to the older man.

Josh ran up alongside Danny, panting, "Is everything alright? I didn't know what to do," he said, looking at the girl who was now standing at her grandpa's side.

She walked up to Danny, bowing her head gratefully, "Thank you so much! If it weren't for you, my grandpa wouldn't have noticed! My name is Denise."

"Oh, it's no trouble..." Danny said, smiling a tad as he scratched the back of his neck, a red tint to his cheeks, "I'm Danny. Nice to meet you, and this is Josh."

Josh nodded, looking at the man now, "How can we thank you, Mister...?"

"Oh, no need for you to thank me. If anything, I should be thanking you!" He exclaimed, a smile plastered onto his face, "And my name is Michael."

"Nice to meet you," Danny said, raising an eyebrow as he noticed hat Denise had begun to walk further out, "Hm? What're you doing?"

"One of those boys dropped something," Denise bent over, the card sliding in-between two of her fingers, "O-oh, it's his trainer card!"

"Hand that to me, Denise," Michael bit his lip in concern, taking the card into his own hands, "This is his personal information. I need to turn this into the police."

"But, didn't you see what he did to your granddaugther?" Josh asked, confused as to why he would even bother helping them out.

"We think far too differently, son," Michael said, nodding to himself, "It's important to do the right thing, and not to stoop so low as to rob him of his license."

Josh rolled his eyes, "Whatever..."

"Show Danny and Josh to our home, would you, Denise? I'll be back after I report this to the Skyheart City police station," Michael slipped the trainer card into his pocket, "Can you do that for me?"

"Of course, grandpa!" Denise said eagerly, a smile on her face, "Stay safe!"

"Will do," Michael said, chuckling just a tad, "C'mon Arcanine."

Arcanine nodded, following along with his partner closely.

Denise motioned for the two to follow her along the dirt road, "It's not too long of a walk! You thirsty or hungry, Danny?" she asked.

"Oh, uh..." Danny stuttered a bit, confused, "Not really, how about you, Josh?"

"Now that you mention it, I am a little-"

"Oh, never mind." Denise gave Danny a grin, eventually coming upon a house made entirely of wood, "Here we are!"  
The area around it was purely all a grassland, a pokemon laying down at the steps, "What's that?" Danny asked, pulling out his pokedex.

_Skitty, the Kitten Pokemon. It shows its cute side by chasing its own tail until it gets dizzy._

Skitty fur is that of a pink color, with the inside of its ears being purple, and three pins sticking out of its tail. Its tiny mouth opened up to yawn, its ears twitching as its slanted eyes looking at the two strangers, "Skit?"

"Oh, this is my darling Skitty!" Denise smiled, her Skitty jumping up into her arms, nuzzling her neck, "I've had her since she was an egg!"

"Really? That's so sweet!" Danny said cheerfully, looking at the kitten Pokemon and waving, much to its pleasure.

"Skitty!" It jumped into Danny's arms right then, nuzzling up against him.

"Heheh, cut it out!" Danny giggled, the Skitty nuzzling his neck playfully as it pawed at his chest.

Denise was slightly flustered, hiding it well, "I'm glad she's taken a liking to you!"

Danny nodded, the smile on his face sticking like glue as the Skitty hopped back to her owner's arms, "Well, let's go in,"

"Finally," Josh mumbled, rolling his eyes as he followed behind the two, looking around the house, "Wow, who keeps this place up and running?"

The floors were made entirely of wood, as anyone would have guessed - but it was completely spotless. Not a speck of dirt to be found.

"My grandpa," Denise said, "Duh. This place isn't that large, so it's very easy to take care of." She turned to Danny, "Let me show you to your room!"

"Oh, wait, room? What now?"

"Aw, come on! Spend the night! It's the least I can do for you... two." She hesitantly said, her eyes focusing on Danny alone.  
"Yeah, man! Thanks a lot," Josh said, putting a hand on Danny's shoulder, resulting in a threatening glare, "... What was that?"

"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean," Denise said, turning her back on the two and walking down the hallway, expecting the two to follow.

They stopped at the room at the end of the hall, unlocking it for the two, "Here it is."

Inside was a set of two beds, accompanied by a moderately sized closet, "This is pretty nice for a guest room," Josh said.

"Yeah, I'll say," Danny said, shooting a smile at Denise.

Denise's cheeks burned intensely yet again, "Th-thank you so very much! It means a lot," She smiled in return.

"Oh, Denise," Josh said, much to the girl's displeasure, "Mind if Danny and I have a private talk?"

She gritted her teeth, "Sure..." she said, closing the door behind her slowly.

They waited until her footsteps had faded into the distance, allowing Josh to speak. "Do you not... notice something weird going on?"

"... Like what?" Danny sat back onto one of the beds, looking up at Josh.

"You're joking, right?" Josh asked, trying his best to laugh it off, "Right? Right?!" His expression turned from a smile, to a look of insanity.

"Whoa, calm down!" Danny backed up just a little, "Just.. slow down, okay, man?"

"Sorry," Josh sighed, "It's just... she's awfully hostile toward me, but to you she's so kind. Think about it."

Danny pondered this for a moment, looking up at the ceiling, "I don't get it."

"You're so damn dense - damn it, man!" Josh stomped his way over to Danny, placing his hands on his shoulders and shaking him violently, "She's... in love with you because you saved her, and I didn't do jack. She's obsessing. This girl is not right in the head."

"Pfft," Danny grinned, "You're overreacting! She's probably just not having a good day!"

"You're an idiot," Josh said, shaking his head as he sighed, "Whatever, man. Nice knowin' ya-"

A knock came to the door, causing Josh to instantly flip out, falling right onto the bed as he gasped, "Wh-who is it?!"

"Oh, did I startle you?" It was Michael, thankfully. A laugh was heard from the other side of the door, "Denise wants to give you a gift, Danny."

"Oh? Really? That's too kind of her," Danny said, grinning as he opened the door.

"Maybe it's a loaded gun..." Josh mumbled, getting a small glare from Danny as he left the room.

Michael brought Danny to the family room, with Denise standing right in the middle of the carpet, "What is it, Denise?" Danny smiled at her.

The red shades burned into Denise's cheek, "I want you to have this. I never raised him, but I believe you may do some good for him," she handed him a pokeball, "Go ahead and see."

Danny gave her a surprised look, his eyebrows raised, "Wow, this is such a surprise! Alright!" He pressed the button, allowing the Pokemon to take form.

_Pidgey, the Avian Pokemon. It is docile and prefers to avoid conflict. If disturbed, however, it can ferociously strike back._

Pidgey has a rather plump body, a portion of the top part of its wings are brown, along with the back of its neck and its tail feathers. The rest of the body is a lighter color, with black markings around its eyes. Its beak is a pinkish colors, along with its feet.

"Thanks so much," he returned the pigeon back to its resting place, "I'll call her Patience."

"No problem," Denise said, stepping over to him suddenly, pressing her arm up against his, "It's a little thank you."

Josh walked into the room, his eyes narrowing to the windows. "It got dark really quicky," he spoke in a yawn.

Much to Denise's displeasure, Danny turned away from her, "Oh, yeah... I am feeling pretty tired," he said, "Oh, thanks so much, Denise. I appreciate this so much!" He seemed so ecstatic.

"It's no problem, like I said Danny," she tilted her head, a bright smile on her face, "Go get some rest."

"Will do," he nodded, "See ya tomorrow."

Danny and Josh made their way back into the guest room, Josh walking more quickly than he had previously.

He shut the door as soon as Danny walked in, "I don't trust her. She even gave you a Pokemon..."

"And I'm thankful," Danny frowned, "I don't know why you think she's so crazy, dude."

"Just, just... we're leaving tomorrow, and we'll never see her again after that. Let's just sleep..." Josh said, sounding as if he was doing this for his own well-being, rather than his friend's.

"Sure," Danny said, slightly upset as he crawled into one of the beds, turning over to the wall, "Night, Josh."

"Night man."

Soon enough, the two had fallen into a rather deep sleep. Danny tossed and turned in his sleep, while Josh was simply buried under his covers.

The door began to creak open, a sliver of light creeping its way onto the bedroom floor. A set of eyes focused on Danny.

"Mine forever," she whispered, giggling.

"Wow, you really are insane."

Denise's eyes began to widen, noticing that Josh had gotten out of bed. He looked down at her in the darkness, "You looking for a fight?"

She instantly began to crawl away on her knees, Josh looking at her as if she were a dog. "... So much for sleep."

The morning came soon enough, allowing Josh to wake up Danny at a rather early hour. "Danny, it's eight in the morning. Time to leave. Now."

"Joooooosh... one or two more hours..." his friend whined, shaking his head and pressing it into his pillow.

"No, we're going now!" Josh demanded, pulling Danny out from the bed.

"Ugh, fine..." Danny sighed, slipping his belt on and attaching the second pokeball to it, which contained his Pidgey.

They eventually made their way outside - but not before an ear piercing scream followed the two.

"DANNY! DANNY!" Her voice shrieked from the house, a blush on her face as she tackled the boy from behind.

"Ouch! Wh-what is it, Denise?" he asked, grabbing his back as he looked up at her from the ground.

"I have a demand," she bit her tongue for a bit, her heart beating wildly, "I want you to stay with m-"

"HELL NO!" Josh shouted, picking a pokeball off from his belt and approaching the girl, his fist clenched so tightly.

"You have no right to decide for him, you little prick!" Denise argued, looking back over at Danny, "Soooo... what do you say?~"

"I say no." Danny spoke with a dull tone, "Why would I? I have so much ahead of me with Josh. He's my best friend, Denise."

She was visibly shaking, tears literally falling onto her cheeks at his response, "You can't be serious," she whispered, taking a pokeball out from her pocket, "After all I've done for you?"

She threw her ball, the Skitty from the previous day standing its ground. "Skit, skit!" It cried aloud.

"Go, Pokey!" Danny called out his teammate, his Chespin readying for battle, "I don't want you to hurt her too bad, okay? Just keep her back!"

"Skitty, use tackle attack!" Skitty nodded, crying out as it lunged at Chespin, only for its tail to grow out, slapping the kitten pokemon in the abdomen.

"Skit!" It whined, falling to the ground on its side.

"Do you not train your Pokemon?! What kind of trainer are you?" Josh looked at her angrily, "And putting it out in battle? The hell is wrong with you?"

"I'm not a trainer! I have to bring my love back, shut up!" She cried out, tears falling onto the ground, "Skitty, get back up! NOW!"

Skitty struggled to get up from that one vine whip attack, leaving Danny to do nothing but return Chespin to its pokeball, "You're being cruel to your pokemon. I won't do this." He said, turning and walking away.

"N-no," Denise shouted at him, "Get back here, damn it!" She cried out in desperation, but to no avail.

As they traveled further down the dirt road, Josh looked over at Danny, "I'm proud of you. You knew when to stop, unlike her."

"It's nothing. Just being sensible," he began to smile, "Let's hurry and get to Skyheart, man."

"I hear ya." 


	4. Crush

The skyscrapers towered over the highrise apartment buildings that this city held, the blue sky covering the city like a blanket. "So this is how it earned its name," Danny said, gawking in admiration.

"It looks like it'll take a while to find the gym," Josh spoke dreadfully, sighing. It seemed like the sidewalk would stretch on for miles.

All the way on the other side of the bustling city, Joey had approached the gym doors, pushing his way inward. "Who might you be?"

A casual voice echoed out into the arena, the lights brightening up the nearly pitch black room. Bleachers were placed behind glass windows, the arena being sealed off from spectators.

Joey tapped his foot on the floor, feeling as if it were made of hard wood, "My name is Joey, and I'm here to challenge you to a battle."

"Nice to meet you, Joey," the man came out from the shadows, a friendly grin on his face, "My name is Guy!" He wore a pair of blue dress pants, a black dress shirt accompanying it as a darkened tie hung down his chest. His brown hair crept down to his neck, his brown eyes focusing on the challenger, "Let's get this over with quickly, I got an appointment at two thirty."

It's a normal-type gym. How typical to be named Guy. Joey thought, suddenly standing on guard. "What are the rules?"

"Two Pokemon each. No switching out, got it?" Guy asked, plucking a pokeball from his belt.

"Sounds perfectly fine to me," Joey said, a hint of determination in his voice as he copied Guy's action, "Go, Fennekin!"

Fennekin took its stance, seemingly ready for whatever came its way.

"Go, Zangoose!" Guy shouted, the light emitting from his pokeball forming into the creature.

"Zan, zan!" It cried out, monitoring its own claws as Joey pulled out his pokedex.

Zangoose, the mongoose pokemon. Its sharp claws are used to slice up foes.

"Short, simple, and to the point, eh?" Joey slipped his pokedex back into his pocket, trying to get a good look at the enemy.

Zangoose's fur is primairily white, although it has red scar-like markings across its abdomen, paws, and its eye to ear. Its eyes are a reddish color, and it has two large black claws on each paw.

"Zangoose, use slash, and make it snappy, a'ight?" Guy snapped his fingers, perfectly in sync as Zangoose slashed his claws together.

The mongoose leaped at Fennekin, its blades attempting to sink into it. Luckily, Fennekin managed to roll away on command, "Use ember! Keep your distance, okay?!"

Fire spat out from Fennekin's tiny mouth, the embers spreading across Zangoose's scarred chest.

Zangoose only shook its head, as if to tell them it was no use. "That makes no sense... I guess we have to hit it physically! Damn!" Joey cursed, clenching his fest, "Use tackle, but quickly now!"

Fennekin launched itself towards Zangoose, only for Guy to snap his fingers, "Crush claw!" He commanded.

Zangoose's two claws began to glow a blueish-white, sparks flying off them as it faces the fox pokemon head on. Its claws were brought down, slashing Fennekin across the back. "Fenn!" He cried out, skidding against the floor.

Fennekin's legs trembled as it pulled itself from up the floor, its eyes half-closed as it attempted to take a few steps, "F-fenne..."

"Fennekin, enough!" Joey called out to his companion, pulling out his pokeball and returning him his resting place.

"Are you giving up?" Guy glanced at Joey, who simply shook his head, "Then what are you waiting for, kid?"

"It's a thing called strategy," Joey mumbled to himself, throwing out his next companion, "Go, Scyther!"

Scyther's blade-like arms crossed over one another, its eyes peeking over at its opponent.

"You're just what I need, Scyther. You're my best physical attacker, so try to take that Zangoose out before it lands a crush claw! Got it?"

Scyther nodded, "Scytha!"

"You seem mighty confident, kid," Guy kept the same bored look on his face, feeling as if his expressions were going stale, "Sure hope it isn't as weak as your little fox!"

"Just shut your trap," Joey frowned, "You don't talk crap about my Pokemon, you hear? Scyther, use agility!"

Scyther quickly sped along the hardwood floor, its sprinting doubling in no time at all. "Use slash on the damn bug! Squash it!" Guy called out.

Zangoose's eyes focused in on the praying mantis, leaping at it from across the field, "Use quick attack, now!" Joey shouted.

Scyther ducked below the claws, managing to dodge the slash and slamming the left side of its body into the mongoose.

Zangoose safely landed on its two feet, its claws glowing the same blueish white as before, as if knowing what to do on instinct.

"Scyther, block it with X-Scissor!"

Scyther crossed its scythes, both of them glowing a bright green. Zangoose jumped from far above, its claws smashing against the scythes.

"SCYTHER!" Joey called out, worried - but the worry was all for naught, seeing as how his partner threw Zangoose off of him in a hurry.

"Impressive, really! I won't lie, that had me goin'," Guy said, absolutely astonished at Scyther's durability, "But can it take another?"

Scyther panted at a rapid pace, sweat rolling down its entire body. "That crush claw really took its toll on you, huh?" Joey asked, his pokemon responding with a slight nod, "No need to keep this up, then."

"Wise choice," Guy gave him a nodded, returning his Zangoose to its pokeball, "Now, hurry. I have somewhere to be."

Joey sighed, retreating his Scyther, "Have a good rest." He whispered, making his way out of the pokemon gym.

The sidewalk was filled with businessmen on their cellphones, women pushing their strollers along - combined with just average strangers just trying to get by in this massive city. Cars zoomed by rather frequently, and probably going way past the speed limit.

"Christ."

Joey had heard someone say, feeling as if they were right behind him. He turned, seeing a familiar face, "Oh, it's you, huh?"

Josh had managed to get to a street corner, avoiding the people, "Over here," he motioned for Joey to join he and Danny, "You challenge the Skyheart gym?"

Joey nodded, "I lost. His Zangoose is tough," he said, his words barely piercing throught the thick bustle of city people.

"We should probably head to a restauraunt guys! I don't know about you, but," Danny said, a hand on his desperatley growling stomach, "I'm starving!"

Josh pushed his plate to the center of the table, giving a deep, satisfied sigh. "Ah man, I really needed that!"

Joey tapped his shoulder, trying to draw his attention, "Hey, I need you to listen for a second - you plan on challenging the gym here, right?"

"Of course," Josh nodded, "What, do you plan on helping me?"

Joey rolled his eyes, "In a way. Just listen, okay?"

"Okay."

"Listen up! The gym leader has an insanely powerful Zangoose, and I could barely lay a hand on it. Special attacks do not do a darn thing to it. You absolutely have to hit with a physical attack, as far as I know. Maybe that Pikachu of yours can do something about that."

"Like, electrocute it?" Josh asked, slightly confused.

"No! I know that Pikachu have an ability called static," Joey shot Josh a grin, "But in order for it to work, Zangoose will have to land a hit on him. Do you think he can handle it?"

"I think so," Josh said, plucking his pokeball from his belt and releasing the electric mouse.

"Pika?" Pikachu's ears twitched, looking at Joey, then over at Josh, "Chu?"

"Pikachu, are you fine with being hit on once or twice?" Josh asked Pikachu, who suddenly had a reluctant frown.

"P... Pika?" His head tilted slightly, feeling as if it were in some sort of danger, "Chu?!"

"Wh- no, we're not gonna hit you!" Josh said, rubbing the top of Pikachu's head gently, "It's a strategy. Can you deal with it, man?"

Pikachu nodded loyally, giving his master a quick smile, "Pika!"

"Great!"

The three slid the gym doors open, the lights shut off once again, "What the heck, does this guy live in the dark or something?" Danny cried out.

"I heard that!" The lights were quickly flipped back on, the businessman standing in the middle of the arena, "Did you come for a rematch, kid?"

Joey smirked, "Oh, nah. My friend here is issuing a challenge." He said, patting Josh on the shoulder.

"Friend? Since when were we-"

"Shut up, tell me your name, kid." Guy spat his words out, a rude expression on his face.

"My name is Josh," he bit his lip, clutching onto one of his pokeballs. Admittedly, he was a tad intimidated - but hell, he couldn't let that affect his performance, "From Middleleaf Town. I'm here to challenge you to a battle, Guy!"

"You got guts, kid," Guy said, picking off one of his pokeballs, "I admire that in a trainer. This is a two on two battle, got it?"

"Got it!" Josh nodded.

"Go, Furret!" The pokeball spun onto the floor, the light forming into the creature. Furret had a slender-ish body, its tail being completely connected to its belly. It has several brown stripes leading down its body, which is a lightish brown. It has two brown marks on its cheek, as well as two black eyes. It has two pointy ears, with light brown colors on the tips. Down the back of its neck, it has a dark brown color. It has two tiny paws, as well as two tiny padded feet.

Furret, the Long Body Pokemon. It makes a nest to suit its long and skinny body. The nest is impossible for other Pokémon to enter.

"Froakie, come on out!" Josh tossed out his frog-like starter pokemon, its hand landing on the hardwood floor.

"Kie!" He cried out, its yellow eyes focusing on the opponent ahead, pure determination burning in them.

"Your little friend seems persistent," Guy chuckled, "But he's no match for my Furret! Use fury swipes!"

Furret began to sprint its tiny feet along the floor, its paws reaching for Froakie. "Furrrr!"

"Dodge it!" Josh called out, watching Froakie flip into the air with ease, "Now use water gun from above!"

Froakie's head was taken aback for a second, the pressure seemingly too much. Though, he had been mistaken, and a blast of the pressurized water crashed onto the ferret pokemon.

A high pitched whine escaped its throat. Lucky for it, the water slowly died out, allowing it to roll out onto the floor, completely drenched with water dripping off its fur.

"Furret, quick attack, damn it!" Guy literally screamed at his partner, watching it dash across the floor as Froakie landed.

Its body slammed into Froakie's, causing the frog to skid across the hardwood ground. It flipped right back up, hearing Josh shout a command once more.

The water came spurting from its mouth once more, slamming into the ferret at full force. Furret tried to push its way through, but only to no avail. It cried out as it was flung into the bleachers, near where the other two were sitting.

"Damn," Guy muttered, retreating his first pokemon, "No one's ever taken care of my Furret so easily without a fighting-type. You got some fight in you, kid! But are you ready for what's next?"

Josh gulped, fear rushing into his mind. "I don't know, but, it's not like I have a choice," his voice shook a bit, "Bring it on, Guy!"

"Alright! Go, Zangoose!" Guy shouted out, his monstrous mongoose pokemon once again leaving its place of rest.

"Zan!" Zangoose roared out, its black claws sticking out threateningly.

"Dear god, those things are much more horrifying than I first imagined," Josh sighed, a bit shaken at the sight, "Froakie, return."

The red beam sucked Froakie back into the ball, "Here we go, Pikachu!" He shouted, tossing out his next pokemon.

His electric mouse pokemon rolled out onto the floor, its red cheeks sparking up a bit. It looked at the Zangoose fearlessly, yet so mischeviously at the same time.

"Zangoose, use hone claws!" Guy grinned, watching the bleachers from the corner of his eye. Joey was shaking.

"Oh god, hone claws?! My Scyther could barely take one hit! Pikachu doesn't stand a chance!" Joey clenced his fists, sweat rolling down the side of his head.

"We can't do much now, Joey," Danny said, his chest suddenly becoming heavy, "The attack boost is scary, sure. But maybe a thundershock or something can get the static off... we can only hope."

"Pikachu, use agility while he boosts his attack!" Pikachu nodded, beginning to run all around the arena, desperately avoiding Zangoose around every turn, though.

Zangoose slashed one claw over the other, a loud SHING screeching from each blade with every single scratch. The claws appeared much sharper, a confident grin on its face now.

"Zangoose, crush claw on the rat!" Guy yelled. The Zangoose nodded obediently, sprinting after the electric mouse.

"Keep it up, Pikachu!" Josh encouraged his teammate, eventually outspeeding the mongoose on every single twist and turn, "Stop, use thundershock!"

Pikachu's feet stopped, its tiny paws tightening as it shut its eyes. Pure electricity sparked off its red cheeks, pulsating throughout its being and coming out in a single form - finally making contact with the Zangoose.

"Z-zan!" Zangoose cried out, the sharp pain coursing through its body. No static was left behind though, the plan failing.

Pikachu's ears flattened, looking back at Josh with disappointed eyes, "Don't feel bad, Pikachu! You dealt some damage, and that's damn good!" Josh told him.

"Crush claw!" Zangoose looked at Pikachu, enraged at the fact that he was able to do such a thing. It dashed over to the mouse, slashing its claws across his chest.

"Pikaaaa!" He cried out, slamming against the nearby wall with a loud thud. Struggling to get up, it watched Zangoose walk over, a merciless look on its angry face.

"It was a nice match, kid," Guy said, grinning as he tilted his head back a little, chuckling, "Finish him off, Zangoose."

"Zaaaaaaaaan- g-goose?" Zangoose stopped in its track, stuttering incoherently as its claws hung over Pikachu.

Sparks were flying all over its form, much to Josh's pleasure, "Yes, the static took effect! Aren't you a gym leader, Guy? You should've seen this coming!"

"You're just a beginner! How was I supposed to know?" Guy's chuckling had come to a halt, angered and shaken eyes staring at Josh.

"Okay, Pikachu! Let's finish this, use thundershock at full blast!" Josh yelled, a smile creeping up onto his face.

"Pikachuuuuuuuu!" The electric mouse cried out, the sparks flying off of its bright yellow body. Electricity came in contact wih Zangoose's paralyzed form, turning its white fur into a burnt, black color.

"Z-zaaaan..." the mongoose tipped over, its body falling unconcious. The match had come to a much needed halt.

The pokeball's red light sucked up the mongoose as Pikachu ran up onto Josh's shoulder, nuzzling his cheek.

"I admit defeat," Guy sighed, a warm smile on his face, "A rookie has never won like that, I'm impressed! Good battle man," he took an object out from his pocket, "Here it is, the Gift badge!"

He slipped the badge into Josh's hand, showing a basic design of some kind of ribbon. But only if he had a badge case. Maybe he could just call the professor about it - in the mean time, he slipped the badge into his pocket for now.

"You want to head to Grania city. You'll find the second gym leader, Liman, there. I wish you three the best of luck!"

The three had exited the gym rather quickly, after Josh had sent Pikachu back into his pokeball. "So, Joey, where do you plan on going next?"

"Well," Joey took a deep breath for a second, "I want to come with you guys. You seem worthwhile."

Danny grinned, instantly jumping up in the air with pure joy, "Yay, we got a new member with us! Welcome aboard, Joey!"

Joey was taken aback, slightly flustered at his behavior, "Geez, calm down, man... anywhere, off to Grania city, right?"

"Right."


	5. Eevee Shenanigans

Danny frowned, his eyes looking up into the sky as clouds hid the sun away from the group of three, "Aw man, I hope it isn't gonna rain..."

Josh shrugged, "Probably just a cloudy day," he stretched his arms out, yawning briefly, "Can we go sit somewhere? My feet are worn out."

"Oh, get over it," Joey rolled his eyes, getting a good look of their surrounding area. There was no direct trail to the next city, just a few trees scattered around, surrounded by a grassland.

"Why are you suddenly being an asshat towards us, now, Joey?" Josh asked, confused as to why Joey would suddenly act up once more.

"I'm not," he turned to Josh, "I'm telling you to stop acting like a baby. Besides, I'm still mad that you captured Pikachu and I didn't..."

Josh chuckled, "Ha! Well, too bad. Maybe you're the one who needs to stop acting like such a baby."

The boy shot a threatening glare at Josh, "Whatever. I only helped you so I could learn if something like that would work in the first place. You got lucky. I don't need Pikachu in the first place."

"What else could you possibly need? Pikachu's are great electric type pokemon," Josh argued.

"Pfft," Joey rolled his eyes, strolling further along, "Like you would know. I've been learning about Pokemon since I was a child. I'll go catch something right now!"

He picked up his pace, dashing off into the grasslands as Josh and Danny slowly followed, a sigh leaving the former's mouth, "What a prick."

"I wonder what's on his mind." Danny spoke, walking along into the grasslands, watching Joey stop in his tracks.

Joey smiled, bending down to the small creature below him, its bright, borwneyes staring up into his. "... V-vee?"

Eevee is a relatively small mammal pokemon, most of its fur being a bright brown color, with a lighter tip on its tail. It has two large tails, four small legs, and a white, furry collar around its neck.

"Hey there, little buddy..." Joey whispered, placing his hand upon the creature's head, allowing it to nuzzle up to him.

"V-vee!" It cried out, a small smile on its tiny face.

"Oh my god, is that an Eevee?!" Danny shouted from afar, running up to it. Panic set in, its eyes widening as it turned to run.

"WAIT!" Joey called out, clenching his teeth, "Look what you did! I was gonna catch it!" He grabbed Danny by his shoulders.

"S-sorry," Danny stuttered, "I just.. I've always wanted a Sylveon. Have you seen what they look like? They're so magnificent!"

"Ha!" Josh audibly shot a laugh at Danny's statement, "Please. If anything, Umbreon is the best evolution. It's a tank."

Joey rolled his eyes. "Both of you are idiots. Flareon is the way to go, and you should know so. It's fire-typing, those black eyes..."

"And the moves it doesn't have!" Josh interjected, receiving a menacing glare from Joey, "Oh, sorry. It has Flare Blitz."

"Hmph," Joey said, picking a pokeball off from his belt, "Let's have a contest and see who can catch the Eevee first, then."

"Hell no! You should just leave it to me!" Josh argued.

"Um, guys," Danny mumbled, slightly afraid of the on-going argument. "I think it's a good idea. Besides, it's fair.."

Joey gave Danny a pleasant smile, "I'm glad someone agrees with me. It doesn't matter now, Josh. One of us is going to catch it."

"Whatever," Josh blew him off right then and there, running to the west in search of the tiny pokemon.

"I'm heading this way, then," Joey said, heading to the east, leaving Danny there, alone.

"... What do I do now?" Danny wondered.

Joey ran into a wooded area, the trees shielding him from the sun as he searched. Luckily, the forest wasn't too deep. He could see the light from the other side in no time, after all.

Leaves crunched under his shoe, or so he thought. His eyes quickly took a look to the left and then the right, "Who's there?"

A hand forced itself over the young boy's lips, the fingers clenching together. An elbow crossed over Joey's neck.

"Mmmf!" Muffled screams fell from Joey's throat. Quickly, he pulled his leg around and slammed his foot into the man's leg.

"Oof!" The masked man plummeted to the ground, watching the short-haired boy run off into the distance.

"I can't believe you failed," another said, his mask clearly more defined than the fallen grunt, "We'll never hear the end of it... why couldn't you just give me time to bring out Hypno?"

"S-sorry, sir." The grunt kneeled.

"Get on your feet." The man said demandingly, the grunt getting a better look of his mask. Red frills brushed against the man's neck, surrounding the entirety of the mask. His eyes could be seen through the slits, and golden whisker-like threads on the front, "I'll do it. I'm more than capable..."

"Eevee! Eeveeeee!"

The calling rung in the man's ears, a smile curving up on his face, "There we go."  
-

Danny's feet quietly tiptoed across the lightly wooded forest, each step being taken with more and more caution.

The bushes ruffled from behind him, yellow ears poking out of the grass, "What kind of Pokemon is that?" He wondered.

Pushing the leaves apart, his eyes met two black dots centering two, large, white eyes. "Hypno!"

Its yellow fingers clutched onto the string, which was connected to a gray pendulum. A noticable hole swung in front of Danny's eyes, a swirl slowly arising in his iris, "Wh.. wha.."

Danny's head hung low, his eyes slowly closing.

Bingo.

Hypno threw the boy over his shoulder, the masked man jumping from the tree above, "Good work, Hypno. Let's head back to HQ... Meredith will be happy. No one defies Team Masquerade."

Hypno nodded, Danny's head slung onto its back as they walked deeper into the woods.

The grunt, however, picked himself off from the ground, dusting himself of the dirt, "S-sir-!" A hand squeezed his shoulder.

"What're you doing on the ground, asshole? Where's Danny?"

He looked up. It was the kid from earlier, "Get your hand off of me!" The mask-wearer yelled in disgust, rolling away from Joey.

"You won't be getting away this time," he said, Josh stepping out from behind him, arms crossed.

"Where'd our friend go?" Josh asked sternly , stepping toward the man with clenched fists, his feet calmly moving.

"You can't get anything from m-" He would say, if Josh hadn't kicked him in the shin, "You don't have any pokemon with you. What makes you think you're getting away?"

"F-fine! I'll tell you where they went! Just don't hurt me!"

Joey frowned, his eyes staring into the man's with pure anger, "You're a coward. Actually, know what? You're coming with us. Let's go."

Forcing the grunt up, Josh held his arm tightly as if his hand was chained around it.

Though, the enemy couldn't help but think one thing.

They had no idea what was in store for them.


	6. Nauseating Evil

"Ughhh..." the young boy groaned, his eyes slowly peeling open, only beginning to survey the surrounding area.

It was difficult to get a good look at anything, especially since most of his surroundings had been covered in a blanket of darkness.

Voices crowded the outside, as far as he could tell. "What mess did you get yourself into, Danny?" he wondered.

His hands rummaged over his waist - his pokeballs had been taken from him, as well as his bag.

"This is bad, this is bad..." Danny stood up, the dark keeping him from being able to see his hand in front of his face, "I can't be too far away from people... I can hear voices."

All of a sudden, the door opened, "So, you're awake, huh? About time."

Danny's eyes rose up as the light poured in from the entrance, studying this man's figure. His body was quite slim, his hands covered with red gloves. He wore a blazer over a black dress shirt, which seemed to connect to the same colored trousers.

Last, but not least, he wore some kind of mask. Red frills brushed the back of his neck, and four slits had been cut into it. Two for breathing, and two for his eyes, "Who... who are you?"

"That's not the matter at hand."

His chance to obtain some answers dashed right away from him, his heart slowly sinking into his chest.

"You're coming with me," the masked man stated bluntly, "Get up."

Calm yourself, Danny... it's best to comply so you don't get hurt.. Danny thought, sweat rolling down the side of his head.

Danny got on his two feet, and admittedly, his knees had become weak. If only he had his pokemon... then again, if there are more like him, he would not stand a ghost of a chance.

The man smirked. He could tell that Danny was scared out of his mind, but he couldn't care less - it really just showed him how intimidating he was.

"Commander Rey, you are needed in the conference room." The voice-over spoke bluntly as Rey took a step out from the closet.

Really? A closet...? That's the best they could do? Danny thought to himself, confused as to why they wouldn't keep him in a more confined room.

"Come along," Rey stated, almost void of emotion as he walked further down the hall. Danny looked down at his feet as he walked along, sweat still rolling down his face.

His legs trembled as he followed close behind the commander, his breathing picking up a bit. He was far from calm.

Rey extended his hand to the door-handle, taking a peek inside the room. He fully opened the door, allowing Danny to get a good look at the room.

Most of the space in the room had been taken up by a rectangular, white table that extended from wall to wall.

At each seat sat a man or a woman, each dressed in the same attire. It was as if they were clones, but he knew that had to be impossible. Each of them wore the same masks, only having the colors of white and black, golden curves lined from under the eye slits, and up to each top corner. The men wore black masks, accompanied by a black suit with white ruffles sticking out. They also had been wearing fancy black dress pants, as well as black shoes.

The women wore white masks, as well as a white dress that extended to just a little below their knees. They wore white high heels.

Each of them simultaneously took a step onto the floor, scooting their chairs in as if they were programmed, "Commander Rey."

Every single one of them bowed, hands on their hearts as they remained their, bowing, emotionless.

"You may rise."

All at the same time, every single man and woman in the room stood in front of the backs of the chairs, all of their eyes focusing on Rey.

It was then that the cold atmosphere became to known to Danny. It was almost unbearable, but losing it here would prove to be nothing useful.

"My fellow subjects, I come with one of the nuisances," reaching from behind him, his hand clutched onto Danny's shirt, "Here he is!"

Throwing him forward, every man and woman gave him a look of disgust. One of the women began to speak, "So is this the one who opposed Meredith directly?"

"I am inclined to believe so," Rey spoke formally, "We have confiscated his Pokemon, as well as the one he searched for... and we are here to ridicule him... or hear him plead. It's his choice. Speak."

Danny gulped, his heart feeling as if it were going to jump out of his chest - how was he even supposed to speak?

"... W-what do you want with m-me?" His nervousness could be heard just from his voice, sweat continuing to soak his face.

"Ha! This is the one who defeated him?" One of the men shouted with glee, a grin unlike any other plastered onto his face.

"It would make sense," Rey's lips curved into a smile, "That grunt was the lowest of the low. He does not stand a chance against me, is that not right?"

Before the trainer knew it, everyone in the room began to crack up at the mere thought of the two battling it out.

_Okay, Danny... calm down... breathe in, breathe out. Maybe if I challenge his pride, I could trick him..._

"C-can you back up that claim?" Danny asked, his stuttering as clear as the light of the day as he attempted to smirk.

"Oh? What's that?" Rey soon turned to take a look at Danny, being able to see through his facade, "Are you sure about that, child? Would you dare challenge one of her most loyal commanders? One of her most powerful subjects?"

"It's a worth a shot, i-isn't it?" Danny's fists clenched, his shaky voice beginning to settle as he willed himself to calm down.

Rey placed a finger on his lips, his hand on his chin as he tapped at his lower lip, "Very well, please retrieve his pokeballs."

The woman nodded, stepping out of the room.

_What have I gotten myself into?_

Rain poured on the three as they began to drag their feet on the dirt road, lazily making their way further up.

"Damn it... are you sure you're not lying to us?" Josh bit his lip, his voice seemingly irritated as the rain drenched his clothes.

"I'm not lying, I swear!" The man shouted aloud to the two, his hands clasped together in desperation.

"Calm down," Joey said in a sigh, "We're not antagonizing you, we're just... having our doubts, y'know?"

Silence once again reigned upon the three as the rain made it all the more deafening, the situation soon becoming awkward.

"What's your name?" Josh asked curiously, one of his eyes narrowing to the man, his eyes giving him a surprised look.

"My name is Richard," he said, pressing his fingers to his mask, whispering, "This thing is suffocating me..."

"Then take it off," Joey spoke, crossing his arms as his eyes studied the mask. It would have to get hot under that thing eventually, "Aren't you burning up?"

"Yeah, but," his hand lowered onto his chest, his voice hesitant, "I wear this for my lady..."

"Your lady?" Josh questioned him, "What, like your wife or something? You seem pretty devoted."

"Oh, heavens no!" He called out to him, surprisingly acting more distinguished than before, "She is the light that shines on us... but.. I am having my doubts. I am the lowest of the low, you see..."

"So, I'm guessing she's your leader?" Joey asked, obviously puzzled by this predicament, "What, do you think she's a god or something?"

"We know." Richard spoke almost as if he had been programmed to do so, like he had been told this his entire life, "One day she will bring the stars down to this heathen planet."

"... How do you know this?" Joey once again questioned him, stopping in his tracks as the downpour began to lighten up just a tad bit.

"Because she told us so-"

"Snap the hell out of it!" Josh interjected, grabbing the man by his shoulders and shaking him, "Dude, what the hell?"

"What? Oh, sorry... I guess I kind of went off into my mind, huh...?"

"No shit!" Josh cried out, biting his lip in frustration as he let go of him, "You sound like a damned robot..."

"Tell us, how old are you?" Joey wondered aloud, beginning to pick up his pace once more, shivering as it continued to drizzle.

"Nineteen. I was forced- I mean, joined Team Masquerade when I was just seventeen. Why is it of any importance?" Richard questioned, raising a brow.

"Did you actually make that choice?" Josh blurted out, finding a look of confusion on Richard's face.

"Hey, Josh," Joey put a hand on the man's shoulder, giving Josh a frown, "Stop pressuring him, dammit. Let's leave him be."

Danny visibly shook as his two pokeballs were returned to his hands, the commander looking down at him, "Let us head to a more suitable area. Come."

Without so much as wasting a fraction of a second, Rey had left the room. Quickly, Danny had followed as well as the other members of Team Masquerade.

Not too long after that, they came to a set of sliding doors, white and black in color. As the doors slid open, Rey stepped forward.

It was just as bland as the rest of the building. White walls surrounded the two, though the floor was a black color, as well as the ceiling.

Rey began to speak, "I'll make a proposition for you. I will only use one Pokemon against you, and you can use the two of yours. If you win, you'll be set free... If I win, you're going to be our hostage. Understood?"

It's not like I have a choice. Danny gulped, nodding in approval as Rey slid a pokeball out from his shirt.

"Very well," he smirked, "Go, Houndoom!"

As the light emerged, Danny tried to get a good look at the hound Pokemon.

_Houndoom, the dark Pokemon. The flames it breathes when angry contains toxins. If they cause a burn, it will hurt forever._

Houndoom is much taller than its predecessor, being at least twice its height in comparison. It has two curved horns, and a pointed black tail. It has three ridges on its back, and a white band on its neck. It has a skull shaped pendant around its neck, and two white bands on each of its ankles. It also has three clawed toes on each of its paws, as well as small red eyes and a black nose.

"Go, Patience!" Danny called out nervously, his tiny bird Pokemon flapping its wings as soon as it was released.

"You plan to fight me with that puny thing? You're going to make it suffer immeasurably, boy." Rey's grin grew larger and larger as he stared at the tiny bird pokemon.

He was right. There was no way Pidgey could make it out of this, but Danny wouldn't back down now, "We'll see!"

"I admire your so-called courage!" Rey shouted at him, pointing a finger, "Houndoom, use thunder fang!"

Sparks of electricity became visible in Houndoom's maw, his teeth glowing a bright gold as it dashed at the pigeon.

"Hurry, use sand-attack, and then whirlwind!" Patience only did as his trainer commanded, flying towards the ground and flapping its wings furiously.

The dust and other remains that had been left on the floor acted as sand, being thrown into the hound's eyes.

Next, Patience began to circle around the Houndoom and flapped its wings even harder, a visible twister surrounding it as the dust increased in its amount.

"You use strategy to make up for strength... not bad, not bad," Rey complimented, still confidently smiling, "You doubt Houndoom's senses though. Use odor sleuth!"

Houndoom began sniffing out the poor bird pokemon, its eyes instantly locking onto it as sparks once again erupted in its maw.

Its mouth instantly connected with Pidgey's left wing, electricity shooting up into its tiny body, causing it to fall to the ground - not yet knocked out. "PATIENCE!"

"How pathetic. One hit and it's down? That tactic was all you had going for yourself..." Rey said, a hint of disappointment in his voice.

As he turned to walk away, a bright light began to shine from Patience, much to Rey's surprise. Turning, his eyes widenned, as well as Danny's.

"Patience? Are you evolving already?!" Danny's smile returned to his face, his Pidgey slowly rising off from the ground as its body began to grow.

_Pidgeotto, the bird Pokemon. Very protective of its sprawling territorial area, this Pokemon will fiercely peck at any intruder._

Pidgeotto is an avian-like Pokemon. The back of it is mainly covered in brown feathers, and its underside and face are cream-colored, and has pink colored feathers on its head, and black streaks behind its eyes. Its tail alternates between red and yellow, and has pinkish/gray-ish talons.

"Great job, Patience! You should be even faster now, so use quick attack!" Danny practically pleaded his partner, who did so under his orders.

Beak first, Pidgeotto dove closer to the ground as it slammed into Houndoom's black throat, a cry arising from its lungs.

"You actually have the firepower to do damage upon Houndoom, hm? I can't say I'm not surprised, this is far from over!" Rey snapped his fingers, watching as Houndoom began to spit out embers at the larger bird pokemon.

One or two of the fire pieces crashed against Patience's feathers, only to be cooled off whenever he began to flap them.

Fire attacks have no meaning here... thunder fang is the only threat. We may just get out of this yet... Danny thought, focusing on Rey and his Houndoom.

Patience drew back from its enemy, watching it open up its eyes and trying to focus on the situation.

"Houndoom, use feint attack." Rey calmly said, watching as Houndoom seemingly disappeared into thin air.

"Where did it go?!" Danny cried out, watching as Pidgeotto suddenly shrieked, being knocked onto the ground.

Houndoom stood over the bird Pokemon, sparks flying out of its mouth as it bit into its body once again, its teeth sinking deep into its flesh.

"Patience, return..." Danny said, slowly drawing out his pokeball and retreating his teammate back to its shelter. "I give up. No need to let Pokey get hurt..."

With the same grin plastered onto Rey's face, he brought his Houndoom back to its shelter as well, "Well, shall we get on with it?"

The rest of the trip had been silent, but the three had finally made their way into the Starburg City Pokemon Center.

Even from the inside of the hospital, they could see the pollution from the windows that had been mixing with the rain.

"This place is filthy," Josh said, disgusted as he turned to Nurse Joy, "Has it always been like this?

Nure Joy shook her head, a bit saddened at the situation herself, rather than disgusted. "Not at all. It used to be just like Skyheart, but... all I know is that an odd group of people had made their home here. They took control of most of the city - which is why the police haven't been involved or an enviornmental protection agency. They've blocked off everything..."

"Strange group of people? Like who?" Joey pondered, his eyes slowly shifting over to Richard who had been sitting near the two.

"Like your friend," Nurse Joy said, a bit of anger in her tone now, "... But I'm not one to judge, I guess."

Richard's hand slowly rose up to his black mask, sliding it off into his gloved fingers. His face had been drenched with sweat and rain, a sweet breath of fresh air entering his lungs, "I refuse to be like them..."

"That's a big turn-around in such a small amount of time." Josh stated, a part of him had been unable to believe him at the moment.

"People do things when they're under pressure..." Richard had mumbled, standing up as he tossed the mask onto the floor, "We're going now."

"Now that's what I like to see," Josh smirked, jumping up from his seat and approaching the doors, "Thanks a hell of a lot, Nurse Joy!"

"I-It was no trouble..." She fiddled with her thumbs as the three made their way out from the Pokemon hospital.

The three approached the entrance of the building, studying the outside of it, footsteps being heard from the inside.

"This place is packed," Joey said worriedly, "We gotta find another way in.."

Josh nodded, walking around the building and nearly falling over as his foot came to a stop, on the edge of a staircase leading down, "Wh-whoa shit! I think I found what we're looking for..."

"Great," Richard said, making his way down the flight of stairs, a small roof shielding them from the rain, "We might find your friend in here..."

The door creaked open into the black abyss, light shining into the darkness as they looked around, keeping the door open.

"Fennekin, come on out and shed some light!" Joey called out on his fox Pokemon, releasing it from its safe haven.

A small ember hung onto the end of Fennekin's mouth, brightening up the place just a tad bit.

"Guys?" A voice called out from the darkness, a face soon becoming visible - it had been clear that it was Danny.

"Danny? What are you doing all the way down here?" Joey had asked, stepping forward to help his friend up off the ground.

"I lost in a battle with Rey, the commander here... his Houndoom destroyed Patience. He's keeping me hostage." Danny said in a sigh, sounding as if he had been ashamed of himself, "I was no match..."

"Now's not the time to feel sorry for yourself," Richard said, turning to look at Danny, "I'm sorry that my boss did this to you. He won't get away with this-"

"Slow down there," Josh said, putting a hand on Richard's shoulder, "I think this is my problem to deal with. Anything we should know, Danny?"

"Well, they're keeping the Eevee we were looking for somewhere in the building, and this place is literally infested with those guys," Danny said, scratching the back of his head, "The situation looks bleak."

"We should split up into groups," Joey said, trying to take on the best course of action, "Josh, you go find the commander. I'll go search for the Eevee alone, and you two can go find it elsewhere."

"Sounds fine to me," Josh grinned, sounding a little excited, "Well, let's get going!"

Danny and Richard walked throughout the hallways, the two of them being awkwardly quiet with one another, "So you're a former member?"

"Yeah," Richard said, looking through the nearby corridor, "I'm not exactly proud of it, and I don't have any Pokemon with me. I know this place inside out, so that's what I'm here for."

"Well, I don't hold a grudge against you," Danny whispered, giving the ex-Team Masquerade member a smile, "The past is in the past."

"Heh..." Richard gave himself a smirk, "Thanks."

Joey slipped through one of the doors, the next room surprisingly void of any enemies he may have had to face.

Cages were lined up across the wall, most of them empty. They must have been used for containing Pokemon to be used later on.

"V... vee..." A small cry left one of the cages near Joey, leading him to slowly scan the encasements.

"There you are..." Joey whispered, unlocking the cage with ease. All he had to do was flip a switch, luckily.

The Eevee immediately hopped into his arms, rubbing up against his chin as it cried with joy, "Vee!"

"You're coming with me, little guy.." Joey mumbled to himself, pulling a pokeball off his belt and tapping it on the Eevee's head.

Ping.

Josh peeked into the arena that Danny and the commander had used previously, only to find it still had many grunts inside.

"Come on in! I know you're there, the security cameras don't lie." It was Rey, and his voice made Josh freeze, stone cold.

_Damn. I should've known that. I guess we underestimated them - they didn't seem smart enough to actually have surveillance._ Josh thought as he slowly slipped into the room, his hand holding onto one of his pokeballs tightly.

"And here he is! The one who started this feud!" Rey began to clap his hands mockingly, giving him a smug smile.

"You're overreacting you damned idiot," Josh growled lowly, "We didn't do a damn thing to you, so why take our friend?"

"You didn't do a thing to us, you say? I beg to differ," Rey's smirk disappeared, a more sinister look taking its place, "You fought one of her subjects. You defiled them, and you have disgraced her."

"Whoever she is," Josh plucked Froakie's pokeball from his belt, "I couldn't give less of a shit. You're going down."

"You're going to regret this, boy..." Rey's fingers pressed onto the pokeball, "You won't leave this place alive. Houndoom, go!"

He flung his pokeball out onto the field, the hound pokemon once again taking the stage, "Houndoom!" It cried out, clenching its fangs.

"Go, Froakie!" Josh tossed his pokeball out into the arena, his tiny frog pokemon back flipping as it left its haven.

"Thunder fang!"

"What?!" Josh's eyes widened in surprise, sparks flying into its mouth as it charged at Froakie, ready to take a chunk out of its tiny body.

Froakie managed to take a dive under Houndoom's belly, picking himself up on the other side, "Use water gun!"

The frog nodded, pressure building up in its mouth as it dashed towards the hound. Water sprayed out from its maw as Houndoom prepared to use thunderfang.

"You forget something, boy! Water conducts electricity!" Rey smirked with confidence as the sparks danced across the water gun.

With eyes wide open, the sparks connected to Froakie's body. The sheer force knocked the poor frog back into the wall, landing on its hands and feet as sweat dripped down its body.

"One hit, and it did that? Oh god..." Josh bit his lip in desperation, rushing towards his pokemon - only for the Houndoom to tackle him from behind, "What the hell-?!"

Rey smirked, walking over to Josh and planting his foot on his chest, "You're not going anywhere."

"F-Froakie!" Josh cried out as the pain grew to excruciating lengths, unable to endure it for much longer.

A light could be seen from the corner of his eyes, the beaten Froakie began to stand as it began to glow white.

"Oh, not again..." Rey growled.

_Frogadier, the bubble frog Pokemon. Its swiftness is unparalled. It can scale a tower of more than 2,000 in a minute's time._

Frogadier has primarily light blue skin, though its hands have a dark blue color, with three white pads for fingers. It has two flat dark blue toes. Arounds its neck is a white scarf made of bubbles, and the top side of its head is dark blue. It has bright yellow eyes with light blue eyelids.

"FROGADIER!" It shouted, quickly leaping from the ground and shoving itself against the Hound pokemon, sending it into the wall.

While Rey had been distracted, Josh managed to grab his foot and throw him off. Quickly picking himself up, he planted a swift punch upon Rey's cheek.

"You're the one who's not going anywhere," Josh's eyes lowered as Rey began to crawl the other direction.

"Houndoom, th-thunder fang, now!" Rey literally screamed out the order, sparks once again filling Houndoom's maw.

"Quick attack, then follow up with water pulse!" Josh cried out to his partner as it gave him a nod.

Frogadier slammed into Houndoom once again, bringing it out of its focus. One of its hands were risen up into the air as a ball of water formed, flinging it at the hellhound, three rings of water pulsating off of it as it connected.

Houndoom couldn't make a sound as the sting of water flowed throughout its skin, causing it to whine with seemingly no end in sight.

The red beam of a pokeball connected to it, retreating it back as Rey began to back up against the wall, "RETREAT!"

Before Josh had known it, the room had been completely empty as the doors slid back to being closed. He scared them all away, simply by defeating the commander?

"Too easy... good boy, Frogadier." He said, pride in his voice as he looked down at his newly evolved partner, smiling.

"Froga~"

-

In seemingly no time at all, Danny and Josh found their way into the arena, seeing Josh standing in the middle, alone.

"Did.. did you do this?" Danny asked, surprised, "You beat him? You really did?" A smile grew upon his innocent face.

"Yeah... most intense battle I've ever been in.. " Josh took a deep breath, putting his hands on his hips, "What happened to Richard, guys?"

"Oh," Joey began to speak, "He must've left in the middle of what we were doing. Probably had his own reasons."

"Yeah, I bet." Josh rolled his eyes, "So, where to next?"

Danny frowned, crossing his arms, "We might want to go to the Pokemon Center to stay the night there... I can't keep moving, guys."

"I agree," Joey smiled, "Come on, losers. Glad you fought him Josh, so I didn't have to. You sure have good luck."

"Yeah," Josh shot a smile back at him, "Good luck."


	7. Fabulous

Isha side-stepped towards the mirror, his hand tossing a pink scarf over his shoulder, "I... look... fabulous!~" He sang, admiring his own reflection with a bright glimmer in his eyes.

His long black hair stretched all the way down to his hips, a pair of his tight skinny jeans accompanying his pink t-shirt.

Twirling around in circles, he soon lost himself in the motion, the biggest smile growing on his bright face.

_Note to self: ... Twirling makes my head hurt and messes up my luxurious hair. Never do that again._

His bag was slid over his shoulder with care, his three pokeballs had been hanging onto the side of it.

Acting quickly, he threw his door open as he danced his way outside, his father attempting to stop him.

"Isha! Wait, your father wants to speak with you!" He called out to his son, making him stop in his tracks.

"What do you want, dad?" His upbeat and peppy attitude slowly spiarled down to a tone of dread.

"Are you off to fight the Pokemon League? You know, the dream I could never fulfill." It was rather blatant that his father was attempting to guilt trip him.

"No." Isha said uncaringly, shrugging as he made his way out the door, leaving his father with a dropped jaw.

"I'm getting rather lonely," Isha mumbled to himself, plucking his pokeball from his bag, "Come forth, my fabulous friend!~"

The majority of Torchic's body is covered in orange feathers, along with two stubby, yellow wings attached to it, as it has no arms. It has two short feet, with three sharp talons on the front, and one on the back. It has a crest extending from its head that resembles a flame, and has a rather small beak.

_ Torchic, the chick pokemon. A fire burns inside, so it feels very warm to hug. It launches fireballs of 1,800 degrees Farenheit._

Torchic flipped out of the pokeball, its talons digging into Isha's shirt, but he seemed oblivious to it.

Isha paid no mind as his father yelled at him from afar, beginning to sprint away from the sign that said: You are now entering Grania City.

* * *

Isha's shoes tracked sand wherever he went, much to his annoyance, "How could I ever live in such a... filthy... non-fabulous place?!"

Grania City in itself could probably be a desert, if it weren't for the fact people had settled down there for whatever reason.

In any case, it was certainly beyond Isha.

Eventually, Isha came upon a rest stop, a smile creeping up on his face, "This is good news Torchic! We're half way through this heathen route."

Taking a step inside, the sand that had been stuck onto his shoe sprawled across the floor, "Excuse me?"

Isha turned, seeing one of the caretakers glaring at him with disdain, "What do you want?"

Upon closer inspection, it looked as if a vein was going to burst inside the caretaker's head. If Isha were to push him, he was sure to blow a gasket.

"You slung sand onto my precious carpet flooring," the caretaker stood, marching on over to Isha, bloodshot eyes hiding behind his glasses.

Looking down, Isha seemed to realize exactly what he meant. There were bits of sand stuck in individual spaces, which he only met with a shrug, "What do you expect, I, Isha to do about it? You are the caretaker after all!"

"I am, but it's not my responsibility to clean up a brat's mess! Get down and clean it, this instant!" His voice took it up to a much higher level, his teeth clenched in anger.

"It's not my job, though!" Isha crossed his arms defiantly, "Besides, it'll mess up my fabulous hair. Neither of us want that."

"You little-"

The two were interrupted with a cough, a young lady approaching them, "Excuse me, but you two aren't the only people here. So please, quit your bickering."

The caretaker immediatley went back to where he was standing, leaving Isha to stare at her, "Now who might you be?"

_Note to self: Befriend this FABULOUS girl._

With a grin, the girl sat down beside Isha, a bright glimmer in her eyes, "My name is Denise! My goal is to find my true love!~"

How.. awe-inspiring... Isha thought, a grin on his face, "That's simply fabulous! And I am Isha, and I plan on conquering this region by storm!"

"Really?" Denise blinked, her eyes widening at his claim, "Do you aim to be the Kirei Champion?"

A look of disgust flung itself onto Isha's face, "I would never do anything so barbaric! I aim to be the top Pokemon athlete, since there are no contests here."

"Huh," She spoke, pushing her brown hair out of her eyes as it swung back and forth, "Where are you headed?"

"No where, really," Isha smirked at her, "I was just going to catch some fabulous Pokemon. As you can see by my Torchic here~"

His Torchic turned to look at Denise, who gave it a pat on its head in return, "Chic!~" it nuzzled her hand, closing its eyes in comfort.

"Where were you headed?" Isha asked, standing now as his Torchic once again sunk its razor-sharp talons into his shoulder.

"Grania City," Denise spoke, with a rather bright smile.

"Grandad City?" Isha blinked in confusion, which putoff Denise just a tad, "What kind of unfabulous place is that?"

Denise's heart skipped a beat.

"U-uh, anyway," She shook her head, pretending as if that didn't happen, "Would you like to see one of my darlings?"

"Oh, yes, please." Isha stood up, his jaw ready to drop in awe as he examined the light being released from her pokeball.

"Oh. My. God."

Chansey is a rather plump pokemon, covered with pink skin. It has three giant hair-like growths on each side of its head, as well as two black, beady eyes. It has two stubby pink arms with no fingers, as well as two flat, pink feet. It has a small tail on its backside, as well as a pouch with a large egg inside.

_Chansey, the Egg Pokemon. It lays several eggs a day. The eggs are apparently rich in nutrients and extremely delicious._

"Fabulous..." Isha muttered to himself, raising a hand near the top of its head, only for it to fiercely slap it away, "Ow! What was that for?! You... YOU-"

"I'm so sorry!" Denise cried out, placing herself in-between the two, "Chansey never hits anyone. I'll make sure it won't happen again!"

_Note: Unfabulousness has reared its ugly head toward me once more... stay away from Chanseys from now on._

An awkward silence overtook the two, but not before Isha slung his bag over his shoulder, "It's best I take my leave." He said, a bit of anger still hidden in his voice.

"Can I tag along? I need some company, y'know!" Denise said, returning his Chansey back into her pokeball, "Until I see him. If that's okay."

"I can't deny you for doing such a... noble task!" Isha proudly declared, marching out the door as she followed, "Let us go onward!"

The two could make out a group of voices from just around the corner, Denise's ears perking up.

"I... I think I hear him again! Come on, Skitty!" Denise cried out, charging out from around the corner, tossing a pokeball into the air.

On the other side, where the three, nearly on their way to Grania City, "Did you guys hear that? It sounded like every hope I hold inside of my heart just withered away." Josh said, a shiver climbing up his spine.

Danny began to shake his head in denial as a pokeball was flung onto the ground, with a rather familiar Skitty popping from it.

"Danny-booooo!~" She sang aloud, twirling in front of the three, "I'm here to rescue you from a life of pain and imprisonment!"

Danny slowly huddled to a nearby tree, planting his head right onto it as he hid his face in his arms, "Whyyy... whyyy... ?!"

Joey turned to Josh, an eyebrow raised in confusion, "Mind telling me who Danny's little psycho girlfriend is?"

"We met her about a week ago," Josh said, his voice a bit shaken up by the situation, "This is just scary. She's following us... well, following Danny."

"So, a stalker, huh? Danny, I'll take care of it!" Joey spoke with determination, watching as Danny's head popped up a little.

"Y-you mean it?" A look of hope was thrown onto the poor boy's face, only for Denise to take a step in front of him.

"You'll do no such thing," she spoke with her eyes closed, her faithful Skitty jumping in front of her, "My fabulous Skitty will defeat you!"

Isha felt something inside him break, his eye beginning to twitch as he threw out his own Skitty, "Go, Skittles!"

Rushing over to Denise, he jumped in front of Joey, arms stretched open wide, "Wh- what the hell are you doing?!" Joey shouted, irritated.

"You say your Skittles is more fabulous than mine?! I challenge you to a battle, to decide who is fabulous! You harlot!" Isha slammed his fist onto his chest, a determined fire burning in his eyes.

But that was quickly changed, as Joey pushed the boy aside, his eyes set on Denise, "Girls like you make me so pissed off. You don't know when to leave someone alone," he closed his eyes, releasing a calm sigh, "Which is why I challenge you to a two-on-two battle."

Denise's Skitty clung to her shoulder now, another pokeball coming off from her dress, "Danny, don't worry, dear! You will be mine!"

The Chansey from before escaped from its holding place, spreading its arms out as it slid the egg out from its pouch, holding it under its shoulder with its stubby arm.

"Go, Scyther!" Joey called out his loyal insect, both of its scythe-arms crossed over one another as it prepared for battle.

"Use double-edge, Chansey!" Denise cried out, watching Chansey begin to charge at the battle-ready preying mantis.

Joey just stood there, staring at the egg Pokemon as it slid across the ground... it finally reached its enemy, lightly tapping against it.

"Chansey barely has any attack, you idiot," Joey smirked confidently, "You have no idea how to battle, do you?"

"Shut your mouth! Chansey, egg bomb!" Denise screamed at the experienced trainer as Chansey threw the egg, only for Scyther to raise its arm and slash downward.

The egg fell to the ground, falling into two pieces, "You're not even going to touch Scyther if you battle like this," Joey sighed, admittedly disappointed with this battle, "Use X-scissor twice, that should be enough."

Scyther nodded, dashing towards the plump pokemon with its scythes separated now, "Scytha!" It cried, bringing both of its arms down to make an X-shape, striking Chansey's pouch twice, scars already becoming noticeable.

Chansey fell with a loud thud on the ground as Joey watched Denise suck it back up into its pokeball, "Go, Buneary!" She shouted, throwing out her second partner.

Buneary is a rabbit-like Pokemon, with large brown ears, with puffy, cream-colored fur on the ends of them. Buneary has two yellow dots above its black eyes, as wella small pink nose. It has two small brown arms, and its bottom half is primarily cream-colored fur, with two rather small furry feet.

_Buneary, the rabbit Pokemon. Its ears are always rolled up. They can be forcefully extended to shatter even a large boulder._

"Use baby-doll eyes!" Denise commanded her Buneary. It put its paws underneath its chin, looking up at Scyther as its eyes seemingly pleaded for something.

"Scyther, ignore it," Joey passed it off as a cheap trick, sighing, "Just... use x-scissor again. This is pointless."

Scyther nodded, rushing towards the Buneary - but not before Denise returned it to its pokeball, "YOU'RE NOT HURTING MY BABY!"

With that, she quickly rushed away from the four, her Skitty desperatley running after her.

Joey placed Scyther back in his pokeball, giving it a sigh, "That was a complete waste of my time..."

Danny picked himself off from the ground, a sigh leaving his lungs as he looked around, noticing Isha, "Thanks, Joey, but... who are you? And Skittles?"

Isha blinked, twirling around as he grabbed Danny by his shoulders forcefully, "I am Isha! I shall show this region what being fabulous is all about! And yes, Skittles. That's what these things are called."

"You mean, Skitty, right?" Josh asked.

"No, Skittles." Isha said, straight-faced as he stared at Josh, "Where are you three... maybe-fabulous trainers heading?"

"Grania City," Josh said in a sigh, "Do you have any idea if we're close?"

Isha nodded, a great smile growing upon his lips, "Of course, my dear friends. It's not too far from here at all, it is my hometown, after all! Let's get going!"

Isha ran off in the opposite direction of the three, leaving the three to try and catch up to the strange kid.

Josh could only think and ask himself one thing...

_What the hell have I gotten myself into?_


	8. Don't Lose Hope

The sand shifted beneath their feet as they took their first steps into Grania City, attempting to get a good view as they entered.

Grania City was nowhere near as gigantic as Skyheart City, as most of the buildings were either businesses or simple houses. There was only one single road that stretched through the entire city, the ground consisting of mostly sand.

Josh could hear people talking amongst themselves happily, the city seemingly content with the way it was.

"They seem so happy," Danny said warmly, a bright smile on his face as they began to browse the peaceful desert town as they walked.

"Where did Isha go- WHOA!" Joey yelled, surprised as somebody had run into him from behind, "Watch where you're going!"

The three turned around to see Isha, readjusting his fluffy hat with a worried look on his face, "If you dirtied my fabulous mane, there will be no forgiving you..."

Before Joey could say a word, Josh quickly spoke up, "Anyway, why were you running around, Isha?"

"I made a new fabulous friend! A shirtless friend!" Isha pointed in the direction from which he ran.

As Josh stared, he saw a familiar man stomping his feet into the sand, his body void of a shirt. Three scars were easily visible on his chest, stretching all the way down to his abdomen. He wore ripped and torn blue jeans, and his shirt was slung over his shoulder.

"Ah, it's you," his deep voice rang out quite clearly, which struck their memories, "I hope you remember me, Josh."

"Hey there, Samuel," Josh nearly mumbled, his eyes unable to break away from the scars on his body, "What are you doing here?"

"More importantly," Joey's eyes became focused on Isha, who had been sitting on the ground for quite some time, "Why are you after this... thing?"

Samuel quickly took a look at the ground, a sigh leaving his lungs, "He kept touching me... he thought I was a girl..." he said, ashamed.

The three instantly stared down at Isha, admittedly, a little weirded out as they began to slowly back away.

"Wait, my friends, I can explain," Isha stated, picking himself up and dusting his pants off, "It began like this!"

* * *

_Isha danced his way across the sand, regardless of the dozens of people watching him act as odd as ever._

_Avoiding his own home, he came to a sudden halt when he saw a man walking outside of the local gym._

_His shirtless form intrigued Isha, leading him to slowly ease his way over to the home behind the man, "Is that a fabulous man? Or a woman...? I MUST KNOW!" He cried out._

_He turned around, showing his back to the flamboyant teenager, which gave him his first and only opportunity._

_Isha quickly dashed behind the man, his two hands running up his chest, pinching and prodding every once in a while._

_"Wh- what the?!" He started to pry Isha's hands from his abdomen, squeezing them as he turned around, his eyes wide with anger and shock._

* * *

"Isha, excuse me, but," Danny interjected, confused, "You kind of just admitted to harassing him..."

"No, I didn't," Isha blinked, somewhat oblivious to the prior situation, "He enjoyed it. Why else would he be squeezing me?"

"Just... just shut up." Joey stated, mentally defeated from Isha's tale.

"I have a question, Samuel," Josh began to speak up, walking forward with his eyes still glued to Samuel's scars, "Where did you get those cuts? Those are really damn long..."

"It's a long story," Samuel began, scratching the back of his head, "Let me try to remember exactly what happened..."

* * *

_Samuel's hand slapped against the inner wall of a cave, the cold rain pounding on his back before he slid inside._

_"It's so dreary outside," he whispered to himself, hugging his knees for warmth as he shivered, the cold clinging to him._

_Though, something seemed to be off... he could hear something snoring deep inside the cave. Quietly, he began to crawl further down the cave._

_Eventually, he came upon a rather large nest, with a large pokemon resting among at least four eggs._

_Noivern was a little taller than a man itself, (though this one happened to be abnormally large) its body consisting of black and purple colors. Its abdomen was basically a purple color, as well as the end of its wings. Its legs were black, as well as its back, arms, and its head. It has a large red V on its forehead, as well as two yellow eyes. It has a patch of grey hair stretching out around its neck, as well as three sharp claws on its wings, and a small black, pointed tail. Its ears were circular, being the largest part of its body. The inside of it could be seen clearly, being majorly a light green with black rings running around it._

_Samuel's stomach began to growl as he spotted the eggs, one of his hands slowly sliding down one of the smaller eggs._

_He slowly carried it into his hands, "I've been hungry, for so, so long..." he muttered to himself, promptly slamming the egg into his maw like a depraved animal._

_Something was wrong though, as his teeth had seemed to refuse to bite into the raw egg - no, something had been holding his jaw down, instead._

_His jaw slammed shut as he saw something flap away from him desperately, much to his surprise._

_"Wh- what the hell?!" Samuel's hands suddenly clenched tightly, his fists were put up in an instant as the Noibat flung itself toward him, only for his fist to quickly smash against its fragile skull._

_The Noivern awoke, startled by the cry that emerged from its newborn child, "Noi?!" Its wings were pushed apart, its yellow eyes targeting Samuel._

_Samuel's back touched the wall of the damp cave, watching as the Noivern began to spread out fully._

_This dragon had to be two-stories tall, her head nearly hit the very top of the cave. "NOI!" she roared, stepping closer to Samuel._

_Taking a deep breath, Samuel sprinted towards the the mother of the Noibat, throwing himself at it without caution._

_He clung to the bat-dragon's abdomen, sinking his overgrown fingernails into her abdomen, only for the mother to respond by slamming the front of her body into the nearest cave wall._

_Samuel quickly flung himself off of the dragon's belly, clenching his fists as his breath became heavier within each second._

_"You're coming with me, like it or not..." Samuel muttered, waiting for the beast to make her move._

_Noivern flew towards him in a flash, her claws slashing his chest, then sinking downward to his stomach._

_Samuel clutched Noivern's foot, twisting it as he pulled it out of his fragile flesh, "A-aagh..." he bit his lip, his hand covering his chest._

_Splat._

_His hand was covered in blood, but he couldn't lose his focus now, or this could very well be the end for him._

_Samuel clenched his fists once more in anticipation, only to see that the Noivern seemed to copy his actions._

_Taking the lead, Samuel quickly rolled under the mother dragon, bringing his leg under its foot as fast as he could._

_"N-noivern!" She began to stumble as her head slammed into the cave wall, allowing for Samuel to jump upward and onto the she-beast's chest._

_Crawling over to her head, she tried to roar in pure rage, only for his fist to slam upon her jaw. His arms quickly wrapped around its head, squeezing tightly around it._  
_He stared it straight in the eye from above, his voice not breaking one bit, "You are under my control. Do you hear me, Luntel?" Samuel spoke her new name, a look of fear in her bright, yellow eyes._

* * *

"And that's about it," Samuel finished, "That Noivern is the same one you saw me use against the Galvantula, too."

With the story over, Danny stepped forward, "I hate to cut this short, but I was wondering if we could check out the desert resort."

"Desert resort?" Joey asked, intrigued as he turned to Danny.

"Yeah, like," Danny began, "The desert resort is a place where not just rare ground pokemon live, but pokemon of all types. I'd like to check it out."

"I'll see you later then," Samuel began to wave, then smiled warmly at Josh, "Good luck in your gym battle, Josh."

Josh nodded in appreciation, watching as Samuel went in the opposite direction.

* * *

Danny walked into the entrance building that cut the city off from the resort, though his breath seemed to be had taken away as he stared at a man near the window.

His brown hair sank back down to his neck, quickly spotting the three of them, "Oh, if it isn't my... erm... pride and joy!"

"Pride and joy?" Joey muttered to Josh, "He barely knows our names, but he calls us that? What a goofball..."

"Hello, Professor Maple! Why're you here?" Danny asked as Professor Maple leaned next to the entrance doors.

"I was just here on, uh, vacation," he said with a roll of his eyes, "I heard about two Pancham that are looking for trainers... they have quite the tragic upbringing. Care to listen?"

"I'm all ears," Josh said, crossing his arms as he lent his ears to the professor.

"Well," he began, "These Pancham have come all the way from the Kalos region. Their kind has been plagued with disease recently, due to unknown two, disease-free specimens, were shipped here as a last ditch effort to save the species. However, their birth parents died... they're both rather lonely, and have no one else in this world. So it'd mean the world to them if you would pick them up. I know it'd help Josh out too."

The hair on the back of Josh's neck seemed to stand on end when Maple spoke those words, "... What did you just say?"

"You mean, they don't know yet? Not even Danny?" Professor Maple asked, knowing now he had just made a horrible mistake, "Oh, I'm so sorry..."

"... Uh, sorry, what? Professor Maple, what's going on?" Danny asked with concern, placing his hand on Josh's shoulder with care.

Professor Maple sighed, "Well, I may as well te-"

"NO!" Josh nearly screamed at the man, looking down at the floor as his heart began to sink deeper into his chest, "I'll do it myself..."

* * *

_I wasn't always the lonesome jerk I make myself out to be. I used to be a playful, affectionate, young boy._

_This happened three years ago, a year before Danny had moved to Middleleaf Town._

_I had a friend. A very close friend, and her name was Grace._

_Sometimes, Grace would invite me over to her place and we would play. It didn't matter what the game was to me, as long as it was with her._

_We would sit in her yard and play with her Hoppip, or maybe even her Tepig. They were the nicest Pokemon on the planet._

_But... one day, I was faced with some... bad news._

_Grace had a weak heart at birth, but I never really put much thought to it, which was foolish of me._

_When she came home from the hospital in Skyheart City, I was faced with something I never thought I would see in my life._

_Grace's heart was weakening by the day, and the doctors said she had half a year left to live._

_To my surprise, they were wrong._

_She lived for three more months._

_I never found out the details to her condition, because her parents moved away not too long after._

_I'll always cherish those last three months, though._

_She stared in the face of death all her life, and never backed down once. That's why I'm a trainer - to be that strong._

_But sometimes it feels like I'll never be enough._

_... Now you know._

* * *

Josh's hair hid his eyes as tears began to whell up inside them, Danny's hand squeezing his shoulder, "Josh.. don't lose hope." He said.

"What?" Josh nearly spoke in a whisper, "But..."

Danny shook him with his hand once or twice, standing in front of Josh now, "Come on, chin up, pal! You're the leader of this group, we can't have you losing yourself. She can't have that either!"

"Danny..." Josh rubbed his tears off of his face before they could be seen.

Joey remained silent, as Professor Maple simply walked over to the three, "How about we go see those Pancham?"

Josh rose his head up, choosing to not lose himself this time, "... Sure."

* * *

Sand blew across the resort, though it didn't blind the group, luckily. Professor Maple had been walking furthr and further to a group of trees, where two small figures could be seen.

"See, there?" Maple spoke quietly, pointing towards one of the trees.

There were two pokemon, one of the panda bears holding the other closely - when they had gotten closer, Josh removed his pokedex from his pocket.

_Pancham, the Playful Pokemon. It does its level best to glare and pull a scary face, but it can't help grinning if anyone pats its head._

Pancham's head is rather round, and has a white color to it. Its eyes has black circles around them, along with having black pupils. Pancham also has two black ears, and the majority of its body is a black color. Pancham is also fairly short, which makes it hard for people to take it seriously when it gets angry. Pancham has two stubby legs, with black paws that have a brown spot on the bottom. It has a white, puffy tail as well.

The Pancham that been holding its seemingly younger sibling instantly stood up, placing its feet on the ground as it began to chew on a leaf that been held in its mouth.

"... I think the pokedex told us what to do here, y'know, little guy!" Danny said cheerfully, bending down and rubbing its head, bringing out a cute smile.

"P-Paaam... ~" She nuzzled Danny's hand, drawing the second Pancham's attention, which Josh bent down to pet.

"Ch-chaaaam... ~" The male clung to Josh's hand, practically claiming the trainer as his own.

"I think they found their trainers," Professor Maple said with a grin, turning to Joey.

"Good," Joey couldn't help but chuckle though, "I don't need a cutesy pokemon on my dream team, after all!"

"I'll name you Maggie, how's that?" Danny asked the small bear, only for her to reply with another nuzzle.

"Come on, little guy," Josh tapped his pokeball on Pancham's head, sucking it up into its new home as the red light engulfed it, "You're my new hope, after all."


	9. Fallen From Grace

Josh paced back and forth between the halls of the local Pokemon Center, his mind still flooded with thoughts from the day before.

_The only reason I didn't argue was so they wouldn't see me as weak. How can I just not lose sleep, or hell, even hope over this? This is too real... Danny doesn't get it._ Josh thought to himself, slowly coming to a halt.

He took a look at his hands, only to see that they were shaking, as his nervousness was at its absolute height.

"Josh?" Called someone from down the hall, "What are you doing down here? Shouldn't you be in bed?"

It was Danny, worried as usual.

_Oh please, Arceus, I don't want to deal with this..._ Josh's eyes narrowed, staring down at the floor once again.

The footsteps came to a stop, and before he knew it, Danny was right in front of him, "What's wrong, Josh...?"

Josh's shaking hands rested against his sides, clenching his shirt as he looked up at Danny, "Something you said earlier is on my mind."

Danny leaned against the wall, a rather confused look on his innocent face, "What do you mean? I don't remember anything."

"You told me, flat out, to not lose hope," Josh uttered, feeling as if he had a lump in his throat, his hands joined together now.

"And what's wrong with that?" Danny asked, looking a bit lost as Josh turned to face him, his hands squeezed so tightly they were turning white.

Josh could barely find the strength to speak, every attempt resulted in him stuttering._ Okay, Josh... keep your cool... stay calm.._

Danny inched closer to his best friend, only for him to take a few steps away. A short breath exited his lungs, relieving him slightly.

"... How can you just brush it off like that? I mean, seriously? You tell me not to lose hope then you just forget about it?!" Josh's voice amplified, echoing throughout the empty hallway.

"Josh... I didn't mean that-" before Danny could finish, Josh stomped away, his fingers rubbing his tired eyes.

"Whatever. I'll see you later."

The sound of his footsteps littered the dead silent hallway, leaving Danny to contemplate what he should do next.

* * *

Morning came quicker than Josh had expected, his eyes blood-shot red as he stared out the window, light slowly flooding the room.

He quickly attached his three pokeballs to the belt around his waist, preparing for his soon to come gym battle.

"Josh," yawned Joey, from the bed beside him, the covers rustling as he struggled to pick himself up, "What are you doing?"

"Preparing for my gym battle, what do you think I'm doing it?" With a roll of his eyes, Josh focused his attention on his plan for the fight.

_Okay, this is a ground type gym... which means Pikachu is out of the question, unless I get desperate. Pancham is going to be thrown right into-_

Joey tapped his shoulder, bringing his thoughts to a stop, "Are you sure you're ready to battle? You're still shaken up. You're going to lose, miserably, because you can't let go of the past."

"Oh, whatever," Josh said angrily, still slightly shaken from the night before, "I'm going to be as strong as her."

"Drop that," Joey crossed his arms, staring dead into Josh's eyes, "If you keep focusing on that, you never will be as strong as her - don't aim to please her, damn it, aim to be stronger for yourself!"

"Shut the hell up!" Josh shouted, his throat aching instantly, "You have no right to tell me a damn thing."

Before Joey could retaliate, the trainer had marched out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

The warmth of Grania City boosted Josh's spirits ever so slightly, focusing on nothing but conquering this gym, and then onto the next one.

He couldn't help but question his own methods, as much as he tried not to. It would break him if he couldn't please his long gone friend.

Josh sat down on the single road the city held, releasing the three of his pokemon. Pikachu's ears twitched curiously, Frogadier stared right at Josh, and Pancham tapped the ground with his foot impatiently.

"Okay, guys, here's the plan," Josh whispered, bringing the three of them close, "Frogadier, you're my go-to Pokemon for this gym battle. I want you to use the best of your power, got it?"

"Froga!" Frogadier nodded without hesitation, saluting his trainer like a soldier would his drill seargeant.

"If all goes wrong, then Pancham, I want you to give it all you got," he placed his hand atop the panda bear's head, "This may be your first battle, but you are a fighting type. You have my faith."

"Paaaam!" Pancham stretched out its cry, its impatient nature getting the best of it as it frowned, nearly breaking the leaf in its mouth in two.

"And Pikachu," Josh frowned, watching as Pikachu's ears were flattened, "I may not use you at all, if all goes well. This gym will destroy you. Got it?"

"Pika..." Pikachu muttered, his ears flattening as he gave Josh a half-sad, half-disappointed look.

"It's only fair. You got the spotlight last time, after all!" Josh nodded to the three of them, retreating each of them into their respective pokeballs.

* * *

Josh slid open the doors of the gym, trying to get a peek of what it was like inside before challenging.

"I see you there, young man! Haha!" A hoarse, disembodied voice laughed from afar, leaving the trainer to try and spot him as he entered.

On the other end of the room, he could see a rather old man standing with a cane in his hand, a bright smile on his face. He had a bald head, and the bottom of his chin had a long, thin, white beard. His clothes could be described as a toga, though the color was red and the cloth stretched down to his feet.

Josh studied the arena of the gym. Sand filled the majority of the arena, though it seemed to go deeper at some spots. Pointed rocks could barely seen from his angle, and the bleachers were off on each side.

"Are... are you the gym leader here?" Josh nearly choked on his own words, surprised that a man such as this could run a gym.

"Indeed, I am," the old man stabbed his cane into the sand, a genuine small smile on his wrinkled face, "My name is Liman, and I am a master of Ground-type Pokemon. Who might you be, child?"

"I'm here to challenge you, old man," Josh said, putting up a facade of confidence as he drew out a pokeball, "My name is Josh. This is my second gym battle."

"Oh, no need to be cocky," Liman closed his eyes, a content, warm smile on his face now, "Young whippersnappers such as you are often put in their place."

_I want to listen to him, but damn it, I just want to get out of this town!_ Josh thought, biting his lip in anticipation.

"Now, would you please start?" Liman asked politely, his eyes opening slowly as he unhooked a pokeball from his outfit.

"Heh," Josh nervously chuckled, "Don't mind if I do... go, Frogadier!"

Josh tossed out his pokeball, his faithful dark blue frog spinning out of its pokeball and onto the sand, as it landed its two feet spreading out as its hand was raised to its forehead, saluting its master.

"Leading with a water type? So I see, you went for the type advantage..." Liman mumbled to himself, tossing his own pokeball, "Why don't I do the same?!"

The white light burst forth from his pokeball, the monster taking form on the outside rather slowly.

Quagsire's body is majorly a light blue color, aside from the purple fin on its back, which stretches all the way down to its large tail. Quagsire has little neck, as it has a very large head. Its mouth cntains no teeth, and it has very tiny black eyes as well as two tiny holes that serve as nostrils. Quagsire's feet and arms each have three digits.

_Quagsire, the Water Fish Pokemon. It has a sluggish nature. It lies at the river's bottom, waiting for prey to stray into its mouth._

"What?! Water and ground... this could get difficult," Josh muttered, anticipating Quagsire to make a move.

Quagsire simply stared off into space, its mouth open wide as it daydreamed, denying Josh's suspicions.

_It's not moving. This has to be a trick..._ Josh thought to himself, trying to think up some sort of plan.

A yawn escaped from the fish, its black eyes blinking once or twice before they were shut, falling into a sudden deep sleep.

"I've had enough of this," Josh pointed towards his enemy, feeling as if he had been taken for a fool, "Use water pulse! Then when you're close, use quick attack!"

Water began to ball up inside Frogadier's hand, as if it had come out of no where, the same in the other hand.

The frog Pokemon charged towards its opponent, unleashing the water blast, watching as it splashed against its rock-hard head.

Frogadier followed up with his master's next order, clinging to one of the walls before launching itself at Quagsire - only for the water fish to bring its head down, bashing it against the ninja's skull.

"F-FROGA!" Frogadier cried out in pain, falling against the sand.

Josh's heart began to pound - but he had heard something as his confidence began to lower. Rocks began to shift out from under the sand, sharp tips on the end of each of them.

"What are you doing, Liman?!" Josh's knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists, demanding an answer from the gym leader.

A hearty laugh fell from the old man's lips, "I've done nothing, child. Your emotions determine the state of the battlefield."

"SHUT UP AND TELL ME THE GIMMICK, OLD MAN!" Josh nearly screamed to the point where his throat had began to ache, his bloodshot eyes trying to look through the battlefield.

"My, my, young man," Liman slightly moved his fingers in a 'tsk tsk' motion, "You best stop taking your anger out on me. This will do nothing for you in the future."

Josh's ears perked up slightly as his vision began to blur, his thoughts retreating to his earlier mindset.

"... Young man?" Liman's hoarse voice rose slightly, watching as Josh began to stumble slightly.

"I'm fine! Frogadier, return!" Josh held up his pokeball, retreating his starter before it fell to the ground once again.

"Do you wish to continue this battle-"

"Of course! Go Pancham!" Josh let out a cry of desperation, tossing out his panda bear pokemon next.

As Pancham took a fighting stance, Josh attempted to yell out an order, but a wave of laughter washed over him.

It was a little girl's laughter, drowning out his surroundings as everything slowly became blurry within every second, "Who's laughing at me? Shut the hell up!"

Pancham looked over to his master, a questioning look on his face as Quagsire spat up a ball of mud, watching as it tore through the rocks.

"P-Pancham, dodge!" Josh barely stuttered out, watching as Pancham rolled away from the impending mud bomb.

It exploded from behind him, leaving Pancham to jump through the hole the attack had made, preparing for his next attack as he got into his stance.

Quagsire stared at Pancham, who had been directly below him, leaving Liman to simply cross his arms, "... You don't stand a chance. I suggest you quit now, young man."

Josh clutched his head as the laughing flooded through his ears, his eyes trying to focus on the battle, "Use arm thrust!"

Pancham took its arms and began to slam them against Quagsire's abdomen, though it didn't seem to do a thing. In fact, the attack started to bounce off.

"Body slam," Liman said in a sigh, watching as Quagsire jumped high in the air and down onto Pancham, its body weighing down on the small panda's.

Pancham's body began to writhe as the enemy pushed down, further and further, the panda feeling as if its bones were to break in half at any minute, if this continued to go on, "Pa... Pancham... !"

"Return... !" Josh winced in pain, calling his pokemon back to its respective pokeball, "Go-"

"That's enough!" Liman declared, returning his Quagsire back to its shelter as well, "You are not to enter this gym until you regain composure. Go train. Then we shall do battle."

Josh shot a menacing glare at Liman before shutting the doors behind him, stumbling back to the pokemon center as the sun slowly began to rise.


	10. Synchronization

The sun shone brightly above the friendly town that was Grania City, its residents making basic conversation like any other day.

Samuel wandered the sandy town, his bare feet pressed against the scorching ground, keeping his eyes away from the blinding light in the sky.

Not too far away was Isha, dancing across the sand without a single care in the world, his hair flowing behind him.

Before he could go any further, the bulky native grabbed the flamboyant teenager by his hip-length locks, pulling him to his side, "You."

"What do you want? I was off to do some fabulous training with Torchic!" Isha argued, spit flying out of his mouth as he shouted with no regard.

"Shut your mouth," Samuel responded, dropping Isha onto the sand carelessly, staring down at him with an irritated look in his eyes, "Do you know where Josh is?"

"Josh?" Isha pondered, placing his finger atop his lips, "Ah! You mean the barbaric trainer? He left the gym not too long ago this wonderful morning!"

"I appreciate the help." Samuel mumbled, a tad bit annoyed as he made his way towards the gym.

* * *

Samuel's feet stepped onto the single road that led to the local gym, giving him a feeling of relief as they were no longer scorching hot.

He knocked upon the door, crossing his arms as he awaited the presence of the old man - before long, the doors slid open.

"Ah, you're the kind trainer from yesterday," Liman's hoarse voice slid out again, coughing as the sun began to shine on his wrinkled skin, "What is it that you need, child?"

Samuel started off with a sigh, "Has anyone named Josh challenged you recently, sir?" he asked respectfully.

"Oh, this morning," Liman spoke a tad more loudly, raising his cane up into the air, "He raised a ruckus in my gym! He didn't seem all there, no, not one bit!" He complained.

Samuel's jaw suddenly dropped in shock, his eyes slightly widening as well, "... Are.. are you sure this wasn't another challenger?"

"Only one Josh has been here, as far as my memory serves," Liman gave the young native a nod, "I hope that has helped."

"It did. Thank you, Liman." Samuel bowed to the elder, walking away as soon as the gym doors had shut once again.

* * *

Samuel slid the doors of the Pokemon Center open, scanning the front lobby for the young trainer, "No where in sight..." he mumbled to himself, sweat dripping down the side of his head.

Worry drowned his thoughts as he made his way to the front counter, the nurse's head digging into the cabinets below.

"... Miss?" Samuel asked from above, signaling Nurse Joy to raise her head up, though, unfortunatley, her head smacked against the top of the counter.

"OUCH!" She cried out, tightly grabbing the sides of her head, "D-darn it..." she whimpered, sighing.

"I apologize," Samuel spoke up, "Do you mind if I ask to see who's been staying the night, recently? Someone under the name Josh?"

"Sir, that's confidential," Nurse Joy said, a bit teary-eyed as she placed an ice pack on her head, "I'm afraid I can't divulge that information."

"Right, right," Samuel nodded in understanding, beginning to step away from the counter, "Thanks anyway."

Sliding out of the room, he began to make his way down the hall, looking through each individual room - through the window, of course.

Eventually coming down to the end of the hall, he approached the fifth room, "Hello?" he called, knocking on the door.

No answer.

Samuel pulled the handle down, pleased with the fact that he could enter as the door clicked, allowing him to step inside.

Sitting on the bed was the young trainer Josh, fiddling around with his pokedex, continuously scrolling down.

"Josh?" Samuel wondered aloud, pacing across the white tiled floor, the room having a nice cool atmosphere to it, but at the same time, it was uneasy and extremely tense.

His eyes looked away from his pokedex for a brief moment, locking onto Samuel's, "Oh. Hey there."

"Where have your friends gone?" Samuel asked, slowly approaching the boy within every second, it wasn't too long before he stood above him.

"Joey went to train, and Danny's gathering supplies," Josh said, slowly standing with a slight stumble to his feet, "Why'd you come by?"

Samuel crossed his arms, a troubled look on his face, "Well," he began to confess, "Liman told me you weren't... 'all there', during the gym battle. I want you to tell me the truth."

Josh took a short breath before staring down at the ground, speechless as he walked around the man, "I guess not, but hell, you can't just blame me!" Josh shouted, his eyes wide and bloodshot.

Samuel began to make subtle movements, reaching his hands out to Josh, "Calm down, I'm not blaming you. You just need some training."

Josh's eyes slowly closed, as a long, drawn-out breath falling from his lips, "... Training? Like what?"

"I'll tell you when we get there, of course," Samuel stated, opening the door as soon as he approached it, "Come on."

"... Why do you think I need training?" Josh asked, backing up against the wall like a trapped animal.

"Because, you need focus and synchronization with your partners if you plan on getting anywhere in this world," Samuel stated bluntly, walking towards the door slowly, to ensure that Josh didn't lash out.

Josh began to stammer, though he knew he couldn't possibly argue, "... Fine. I'm going." He said in a defeated sigh, following his temporary mentor out the door.

* * *

Samuel led the young rookie out into the previous route, climbing up a path that was less traveled by adventurers.

Eventually, the gravel was cut off as the earth was now littered with tall grass, and insanely tall pine trees.

They came to a stop in a clearing, the tall grass still surrounding the circle they had stopped at to rest.

"Why did you bring me out here?" Josh asked quizically, an eyebrow raised in question as Samuel turned to him.

Samuel grinned a bit, "I said, to train Pancham. Physically and mentally. You're going to stay here for a night, with Pancham out at all times."

"I guess that means I better let him out," Josh sighed, pressing the button on the pokeball, watching as the small panda slid out from his temporary safe haven.

"Pancham?" He put a finger on his chin, confused as he looked between the native and the rookie trainer.

Josh bent down to his small, furry companion, a forced smile on his face, "We're going to stay out here for a night, buddy. It's your special training!"

"Paaan..." Pancham turned to the opposite direction, its eyes rolling a few times before giving a nod of approval, "Cham!"

"Good," Josh rubbed his head rewardingly, standing up as he looked over at Samuel, "We'll do our best."

"I'll come to get you in the morning," Samuel gave him a thumbs up, intending to encourage him, "I'll tell David and Joey what happened."

Before Josh could turn around, something spun and slapped the back of his head - turning around, he saw a black half-cap on the ground.

On the side was a tag: "For Pancham to wear once he's finished training. A little gift."

Josh could only grin as he slid the hat onto his own head for now, patting Pancham's as they walked deeper into the tall grass, the wet blades brushing against his legs.

He came to a sudden stop, feeling his panda bear pokemon bounce against his leg as soon as he did, hearing the tall grass rustle.

".. What was that?" Josh whispered to himself, slowly moving forward - but he thankfully stopped, watching as patches of grass ahead of him were cut down to size.

He could see the stubby pokemon now, a group of four with their hands forced out with menacing looks in their eyes.

"... This could be trouble," Josh muttered to his Pancham, slipping his pokedex out from his pocket.

_Scraggy, the Shedding Pokemon. Its skin has a rubbery elasticity, so it can reduce damage by defensively pulling its skin up to its neck._

Scraggy is a rather short creature, the bottom of its body having elastic skin, its tail sharing the same trait as well. Its teeth are constantly exposed, its head having an orange-ish color to it, as well as two oval eyes on each side of its head, with black irises. Its belly has red scales running up it, as well as having a cream-colored small body, and very thin arms.

Sweat began to roll down the side of Josh's head, feeling uneasy as he didn't dare to take a step forward.

"There's no way we're getting out of this," he murmured to his partner, to which he replied with a nod, "... Show me what you can do."

Josh gave his little friend a thumbs up, grabbing the cap on his own head and placing it on Pancham's, much to his pleasure. "... Pam!~"

A wide grin spread across his mouth before nodding at his master, taking a few steps forward into the cleared out area.

The Scraggy slowly formed a circle around him, their eyes locking onto different parts of his body, as if to navigate where the weak spot would be.

Suddenly, one of the Scraggy leaped from its position, throwing itself at the seemingly defenseless panda.

Pancham grabbed the bald Pokemon's thin arm, his hand squeezing tight to the bone, "Sc... scraggy!" It cried out, its eyes wide in shock.  
Gritting his teeth, the small panda spun around with the enemy still attached, tossing it to the left.

"Scraaaaaaaaaaaag!" It cried out in desperation, crashing into one of its partners, its head bashing onto the other's cranium.

A grunt escaped from the taller one's nostrils, foolishly tossing itself at Pancham as well, its arms rising up to fight.

Pancham put up its hands, slamming them against the Scraggy's abdomen before it could land, sending it flying onto the ground with a 'thump'.

His eyes glared at the last remaining Scraggy who began to back up, its skin-like pants falling between its knees as it began to flail, sprinting away.

"Good job, Pancham!" Josh congratulated his friend, bending down to pet him on the head, "Didn't even have to move an inch... I'm so proud!"

Pancham rubbed the back of his head nervously, "Panpan!" He smiled wide with his eyes closed, though stopped as something began to become clear to him.

They weren't finished yet.

Josh and Pancham both looked up to see a different type of pokemon, though vaguely similar.

"Help me out here, Pokedex..." Josh muttered, a bit disappointed as he withdrew his digital encyclopedia.

_Scrafty, the Hoodlum Pokemon. It can smash concrete blocks with its kicking attacks. The one with the biggest crest is the group leader._

Scrafty is at least a foot taller than its predecessor, having larger elastic skin around its legs and knees. Its skin color is primarily orange, and has a long red mohawk starting from the front of its head, to stretching down the back. Its eyelids had been colored black, looking as if it had been wearing eyeshadow. It also has elastic skin around its neck, and shows its teeth constantly as well.

The hoodlum marched on over to the panda bear, holding its elastic skin up to its waist, as it slowly began to waddle instead of march threateningly.

"... Are you kidding me?" Josh asked himself, holding back a chuckle as the Scrafty looked down at Pancham, glaring at him.

A purple light emitted from the gang leader's palm, ringing it back before throwing it at Pancham, who had decided to take it head on.

It slapped onto Pancham's forehead, a purple light threatening to blind him - but to no avail. It did no good.

"Is that your payback, punk?" Josh bit his lip in anticipation, although he was fairly confident in his partner, "You know what to do."

Sweat was drenching the opponent's cranium as it began to back up, watching in horror as Pancham grabbed its arm, beginning to spin around in circles.

"Sc... scraaaf... !" It couldn't muster to build up the strength to yell in pain as Pancham threw it up in the air, slamming its palm against the pokemon's scaled belly.

Josh watched with pride as the Scrafty crawled away from the scene, hiking up its skin as it waddled off into the tall grass.

"Great job!" Josh complimented his panda, pressing his palm to Pancham's, as if to give him a high-five.

"EXCUSE ME, YOUNG MAN!" A deepened voice called from afar, causing Josh to turn around to see someone running.

The sun reflected off his bald head, white hairs spread throughout his head as he ran towards the rookie.

"Um... hello?" Josh asked, confused as the old man stopped, trying to catch his breath, "Are.. you okay?"

"Don't you worry about me," he panted, sliding his hands onto his knees, "You... you... wiped out that awful gang! They've been terrorizing Grania City for so long!"

Josh blinked, a bit clueless, "Wait, what? I never saw them. This is the first time I've ever heard about them..."

"It's only once in a while, but I think they're throughly scared now!" The old man slapped Josh's back, a wide grin on his face, "What can I do for you?"

"Oh, um," Josh stammered, "I was just training my Pancham. Do you think you could help it?"

The old man rose one of his fingers up, spinning a keychain around on it, a pokeball attached to it, "You can call me Phillip, and um," he unhooked the pokeball from the keychain, "I could help you with type advantage if you'd like."

"Thanks, man!" Josh gave him a nod, backing up with Pancham as the old man tossed out his pokeball.

"Go, my faithful partner, Staravia!" Phillip shouted, his pokeball bouncing onto the ground, the bright light emitting to reveal a bird pokemon.

_Staravia, the Starling Pokemon. They maintain huge flocks, although fierce scuffles break out between various flocks._

Staravia's feathers are mainly a grayish-brown color, with black and white markings all over ts body. Its head and upper body are a black color, and has an M pattern over its chest. It has a grayish-brown spot on the forehead, it has small black eyes, with white pupils. It also has a long, orange beak that has a black tip. It has a long tuft of feathers on the back of its head that happen to curve forward. Its lower half of its wings are black, and it has black tail feathers with a single white feather in the exact center.

"Alright, Pancham," Josh began, eying his partner who had been standing at his feet, "You are at a major disadvantage... use whatever technique you can. I'll help you if I have to, okay?"

Pancham gave him a nod, putting up his fists as he spread out his legs among the wet grass, "Pancham!"

"I'm glad to see you got some fight in ya, little guy," Phillip backed up a tad bit as his bird pokemon's wings spread out, "Hit 'em with a wing attack!"

"Starrr~" It sang nasally as it soared towards the panda bear, only for it to roll beneath the birds wing.

"Good dodge, buddy!" Josh encouraged him, his spirit lifted up as he watched the starling come back around, "Grab on!"

"What?!" Phillip shouted, staring at the Pancham as his partner came back around, "Try to dodge!"

"It's too late now," Josh smirked, watching as the panda bear clinged to Staravia's wing, climbing onto its back

His paw held tightly onto the avian's feathers, his other paw raised slightly above his neck, "Star?!"

Staravia began to spin, leaving Pancham to bcome rather dizzy, its eyes shifting in several directions.

"Pancham, use arm thrust!" Josh ordered, watching as Pancham rose his arm, slamming his palm into the back of its neck.

"S-Staravia!" Phillip cried, watching as Staravia began to spin out of its own control, its face being shoved into the dirt.

Pancham hopped off from its back, stumbling while making his way back to his master, "P... paaan..."

Josh sprinted over to his panda bear pokemon, scooping him up in his arms with care as he rubbed his head. "You did great... take a rest, buddy."

Phillip's pokeball sucked his Staravia back into the pokeball, rubbing his head nervously as he walked over to the winner.

"I didn't expect that, truth be told," The old man said, holding back a small giggle, "Would you like to stay the night?"

"Wait, what?" Josh asked, "Are you even sure about that? You don't even know me."

"Oh, for heaven's sake," Phillip rolled his eyes, walking over to the trainer and putting his arm over his shoulder, "Anyone who defends Grania City is a friend of mine. Now come with me to my home. I have a little log cabin deeper in the woods."

"A-alright..."

* * *

Before long, the group of three had arrived in the log cabin just before sun down, luckily avoiding any more wild pokemon.

Josh sat one the bed in the guest room, a small smile on his face as he looked out the window. _Huh.. what a nice man._

Pancham slept peacefully on his master's lap, his hands underneath his furry head, "... Chaaam... ~" He snored, a smirk on his face.

"Lights out!" the old man called out, the hallway lights shutting off instantaneously as his footsteps faded into the background.

"Sure goes to bed late..." Josh muttered, curling up on the bed as the light outside slowly flickered out.

He layed there for hours and hours, staring up at the ceiling as his panda pokemon stretched out on his chest, still asleep.

_Wait a minute..._ Josh thought, hearing some sort of thumping on the outside wall, _... What is that? Better wait and see..._

His heart began to pulsate loudly as the footsteps from the outside began to drag themselves closer...

Thump, thump, thump...

_CRASH!_

Pancham jumped from the bed with the utmost haste, rushing towards the bedroom door - another crash had found its way into the home, the sound of glass falling upon the ground littering Josh's eardrums.

A scream accompanied the screams, to which Josh opened the door, running through the short hallway to see a large paw with several claws trying to climb through the window.

"Phillip!" Josh shouted, his tired voice looking both ways as Phillip backed up against the wall, as if to avoid it.

"Ursaaaa..." the pokemon mumbled, pulling its paw out from the window - when it did so, Pancham rushed to the window, hopping out to make sure it wouldn't escape.

"Oh, god," Josh began to look both ways, staring at Phillip now, "We'll take care of this!" He threw the door open, watching as Pancham was thrown off of the creature.

"URSARING!" It roared loudly, its menacing eyes focusing on the two, a hungry gaze in its eyes.

_Ursaring, the Hibernator Pokemon. With its ability to distinguish any aroma, it unfailingly finds all food buried deep underground._

Ursaring's fur is mainly a dark brown color, with short legs that have three razor sharp toes. Its arms are very large, having five claws on each paw. It has ruffles of hair on its shoulders, and has two tiny brown ears. Its mouth is a cream-color, and has a tiny black nose. On its chest is a large, yellow ring.

Pancham took a fighting stance as Ursaring lowered its beefed up arm, slashing at the small panda pokemon.

Pancham ran up the creature's arm, jumping off and slamming his foot into the center of the ring on its belly.

Ursaring merely growled, raising its paw and slapping the panda bear away, sending it rolling into the dirt below.

Josh placed his hand on Pancham's head, focusing on the situation at hand, but did his best to keep composure. "... Pan?" His friend asked, his tone sounding if he didn't believe in his master.

"Calm down, Pancham," he said, taking a look at dirt on his face, rubbing it off with his fingertips, "You can do this... aim for his face. I'll tell you when."

Pancham gave Josh a thumbs up as he ran towards his enemy once more, awaiting his master to make the order.

Ursaring once again slammed its hand down onto the cold earth, allowing Pancham to side step and begin to sprint up its arm.

Claws slowly began to come down, allowing the panda bear to take advantage of its enemy's lack of speed.

Ursaring's claws sunk into its own flesh, resulting in a cry of sheer pain as Pancham jumped up from its shoulder.

"Use slash, then arm thrust on your way down!" Josh commanded right on time, watching as Pancham had drawn its arm across Ursaring's face, its hand slashing across its two eyes.

"URSAAAAAAAAA!" It roared, grabbing its eyes in frustration as Pancham began to plummet, but not before slamming its palms against its chest again and again.

Pancham rolled across the ground, watching as the enormous bear began to back up with its eyes sealed shut from the sting.

Phillip slowly walked out of his house, a small, although worried, smile was spread across his face, "You did it.. thank you so much..." he said with a brittle voice.

"No problem," Josh said, turning to the old man, "Will you be okay? I can help you with the windows..."

"No, it's fine, you've done enough," Phillip bowed out of thanks, "I'll fix it, but thank you, so much!"

* * *

The next morning, Josh stood outside of the man's cabin, giving him a bow, "Thank you for your hospitality. I needed it."

The old man brushed it off, giving the child a large smile, "Oh, I would do the same for anyone. Thank you for protecting my home, though, the Ursaring was only looking for food... but in any case, I hope to see you again one day, young trainer!"

Josh responded with a nod, the same with Pancham who had adjusted his half-cap, "You too!"

Phillips waved goodbye to the young trainer, watching him walk out of the woods - though, eventually, he came to a stop.

"That kid is going places... I can feel it..."


	11. Karma

Josh hid his eyes from the shining sun with difficulty, his hand providing the best shade he could possibly obtain.

"Ugh..." Groaning, his arms drooped to his sides as his feet began to drag along, the sand carrying itself with him.

The heat was getting to him, as well as the thought of his two friends abandoning him, but surely they wouldn't do such a thing.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could spot the local pokemon hospital, which gave him a sigh of relief.

"Oh, thank Arceus," he whispered to himself, sliding open the doors, nearly collapsing as the cool air washed over him like a tidal wave.

"I'm glad to see you're back, safe and sound," a rather deep voice had spoken, and Josh looked up to see it was Samuel, "How are you?"

Josh let out a much-needed sigh once again, a small smirk plastered onto his face, "I'm pretty good," he chuckled, "Pancham loves the gift you gave him."

"Glad to hear it," Samuel gave him a slight shake before removing his hand, "Oh, your friends are waiting for you in your room."

The young trainer couldn't help but be slightly taken aback, feeling as if all the air in his lungs had been stolen, "... I'll go and meet them." He responded, his voice shaky.

Samuel replied with a nod, watching as his friend began to slowly walk his way down the hall, his hair hiding his eyes, both glued to his sneakers as he trudged along.

Before Josh could muster the courage to look up, he saw a shadow dash along the wall, much to his surprise, "Wha-"

His mouth shut instantly as someone's arms wrapped around him tightly, feeling their face dig into his shoulder.

"... Danny?" Josh wondered aloud, getting a muffled cry in response, which was good enough for him.

He sighed loudly, running his hand onto his friend's back, patting it comfortingly, "I'm sorry for being a bad friend..." Danny mumbled.

This was where Josh would snap, but he refused - he took Danny by his shoulders, pushing him away slightly while still getting a good look at his face.

"Danny, you are by no means a bad friend," Josh felt like there had been a stone in his throat as he began to explain, "I was a major asshole to you. I blamed you for my problem, and that was damn wrong of me. I should be sorry.. well, hell, I am!"

Danny nodded, his eyes somewhat reddened as he wiped away a tear or two, a warm smile breaking through.

Joey released a sigh as he put a hand on both of their shoulders, a small smirk on his face now.

"I'm glad you grew a pair," Joey said, his smirk adjusting to a soft smile, "Can we quit the tear fest now? You have a gym to beat."

Josh nodded with full confidence, giving a smile to Danny once again as he removed his two hands from his shoulders, "Let's get going, guys! I don't want to spend another night in this damn town."

His friends gave him a nod before following him, making their way out of the hall, but not the hospital quite yet.

Samuel stood in front of the doors, his grin turning to a look of seriousness, his eyes slightly open now. "Are you sure you're ready to fight Liman?"

Josh's expression changed somewhat, his hand resting upon his chin as he contemplated, though he knew it was without question.

"I have a strategy, no need to worry about me." Josh spoke up, his voice loud and clear as the native gave him a nod, allowing him to exit.

* * *

The group of four slid into the sandy gym, spying the old man at the very end of the room, just like last time.

"Ah? Oh, it's you!" Liman's attention was now on the group of four, or, more specifically, Josh.

His cane was stabbed into the ground as he glared at the rookie trainer, who only held one badge - surely, he wouldn't be beaten by a beginner.

"Yeah, it's me," Josh spoke aloud as the other three moved to the bleachers, each of them spaced out and fairly high up on the seats, "What of it? Shocked?"

"No, no," Liman nearly spoke in a cough, his boney hands shaking as they clutched his wooden case, "I'm simply amazed that you came back after your little episode, child."

Josh's lips curved up into a confident smirk, his hands tossing one of his own pokeballs back and forth, "Well, you can be amazed when I beat you too, old man."

Liman would protest, but had been interrupted as the doors slid open, a boy standing inbetween them, "I. Am. HERE!" He cried out, his luxurious hair flowing as wind blew inside the gym.

"Ugh... Isha, why the hell are you here?" Josh asked in a mumble, his eye twitching from the irritation.

Isha rose his fist up in the air, prancing over to the challenger with a frown on his face, "To see if your Pokemon are FABULOUS! Of course!"

"How did you know I was challengi- were you stalking us?" Josh questioned, staring at the flamboyant kid with a suspicious look in his eye.

Isha kicked his feet innocently, a tiny frown on his face, "How dare you! I prefer the term follow quietly!"

Samuel stepped off of the bleachers, cracking his knuckles as he approached Isha, "Come with me, you little-"

He eventually threw Isha over his shoulder and made his way back up the seats, throwing him next to Danny.

".. Geez.." Danny whispered to Joey, a bit afraid of Samuel's physical strength. He did wrestle a dragon, after all.

"Ahem!" Liman coughed into his fist before his smile returned, "We've delayed the inevitable for too long. Please, do the honor of releasing your first pokemon."

"Will do," Josh responded, tossing the pokeball out of his hands, watching his aquatic frog pokemon, Frogadier, jumping out from the light.

Frogadier saluted his trainer, a burning fire in his eyes as he put his hand down, now turning to the opponent.

"Predictable," Liman said in a whisper, throwing out his first pokemon as well, watching as the shrew-like Pokemon formed from the light, "Go Sandslash!"

Josh quickly pulled out his encyclopedia, holding it up to the pokemon who happened to be across the battlefield.

_Sandslash, the Mouse Pokemon. If it digs at an incredible pace, it may snap off its spikes and claws. They grow back in a day._

Sandslash's skin color is mainly a bright yellow, with his belly being a white in an oval shape. Instead of fingers, each of his limbs has two, large, white claws, which are incredibly sharp. On its forehead is a a yellow-colored spike, which isn't as large as the others. On its back it has several brown spikes, used for burrowing underground and attacking its prey. It also has two eyes, blue in color but white irises.

"Sandslash, use rollout!" Liman pointed forward, his shrew partner nodding and rolling up into a ball, charging at full speed.

_Those spikes will do damage to Frogadier, type advantage or none at all.._ Josh thought to himself before grinning, "Frogadier, bounce into the air, then use water pulse!"

Mere seconds before Sandslash could make contact with Frogadier, he hopped high into the air, his feet clinging to the ceiling.

"Froga..." The amphibian mumbled, pulling his hands together as a ball of water formed in his palms, "Dier!"

The water ball began to spread out as it flew throughout the air, several rings of liquid following it as Sandslash looked in both directions.

"Dig, now!" The elderly gym leader shouted, watching as Sandslash's claws rapidly dug into the sand with ease, the water pulse splashing against the hole in the ground.

"Frogadier, follow that pokemon!" The rookie trainer commanded, watching as Frogadier agreed to the plan, diving into the hole.

"Are you a fool? You're in Sandslash's natural habitat!" Lima protested, his lips suddenly forming a large grin.

"Habitat has nothing to do with it, Liman," Josh said, looking at Liman from the side, "It's about strategy. Frogadier, use bounce, then water pulse!"

The ground from beneath began to crack, which brought horror to the gym leader's eyes, gazing in the air as his shrew pokemon was being thrown into the air.

Frogadier once again formed the ball of water in his hands, the liquid forming rings as it made contact with Sandslash's body.

"Sl.. slash!" Sandslash cried out in pain, crashing to the ground, its body gathering sand as it slid over to its master.

"Hmph," Liman shrugged his shoulders, his shrew pokemon being placed back inside its pokeball, "I must say, you are very capable. I didn't expect this.."

"Get used to it, old geezer," Josh spoke with confidence once again, the red light from Frogadier's pokeball sucking the pokemon back in.

"Prepare to face my next pokemon. Go, Donphan!" Liman tossed out his second pokeball, watching it spin on the floor as his next pokemon was released.

_Donphan, the Armor Pokemon. The longer and bigger its tusks, the higher its rank in its herd. The tusks take long to grow._

Donphan is fairly short compared to humans, standing at about three feet tall. It has four legs with two black pads on each. Its skin is a light blue color, and has two large tusks. Donphan also has a long, black band of hide stretching down to the end of its body, as well as the other end. Donphan also has two black ears that lay flat on its body.

"This'll be a piece of cake! Go, Pancham!" Josh shouted, tossing out his pokeball as his panda bear pokemon stepped out, its black half-cap tilted on its head.

"Horn attack!" Liman pointed at the puny panda pokemon, his elephant pokemon charging towards it, tusks in front.

"Pancham, grab his tusks!" Josh said, making due with what information he had of the opponent.

Pancham nodded, running towards the Donphan pokemon, much to the specator's surprise - especially Danny.

"Is he insane? Pancham is gonna get maimed!" Danny drug his fingers down his face, a look of worry frozen on his face.

"I think he has something up his sleeve," Joey told him, then closed his eyes and gave off a chuckle, "Then again, when doesn't he?"

Pancham jumped forward, his two hands grabbing the sharp tusks without caution, pushing his strength outward.

Donphan came to a halt as the small panda bear successfully stopped him, much to the surprise of the gym leader and the pokemon.

"Do.. donphan?!" The elephant pokemon cried out, watching as Pancham held him there, waiting for orders.

"Use vital throw, buddy!" His master called out, nodding at his command as he lifted the heavy elephant pokemon upward, tossing him into the ground.

This was when something odd happened - Josh noticed that the rocks from before began to peak up, staring as they slowly rose.

"Is your own crappy gimmick going against you now, old man?" Josh asked with a large smirk on his face, his hand on his hip.

Liman grumbled, his hoarse voice now yelling out, "Rollout! Flatten out that Pancham!" It seemed that he had been losing his cool, his old bones shaking.

Donphan rolled up into a ball, rolling even more quickly than the previous pokemon had done, which only made Josh chuckle.

"Grab it and use circle throw!" Josh commanded, looking out as Pancham freed his hands from fists.

Pancham had began to spread his legs out, his arms stretched out as Donphan began to near him, coming at dangerously high speeds.

His hands locked into Donphan's rough hide, slowly picking him up, his lower body trembling as he began to spin around.

"Paaaaan... cham!" The panda bear cried out, throwing the elephant pokemon at the wall, imprinting his shape into it.

Liman released a calm sigh from his tired lungs, his partner being sucked back into its pokeball, "This has never happened before..." he spoke, his voice sounding like his throat was torn and ragged.

"Well, you better believe it, because it's happening right now," Josh bit his lip though, because he knew what was next. It was the only real Pokemon he had a fear of in this gym.

"Here comes my ace," Liman warned, seemingly in high spirits once again, "Go, my faithful friend! Quagsire!"

Quagsire simply stood in one place as it had been released for battle, staring off into nothingness, not even giving off a blink.

"Pancham, this is where the real fight begins, okay? Give it your all!" Josh encouraged his friend, getting a thumbs up in response.

"Mudbomb, please!" Liman said to his water fish pokemon, unphased even when it hacked up the ball of mud, launching it at the panda bear.

"Dash under it, then use sky uppercut!" Josh clenched his fists as Pancham did as he was told, dashing underneath the grotesque mud ball before it splattered into the sand, luckily coming from beneath Quagsire.

Pancham threw his fist up to the fish's jaw at full force, sending it flying into the wall as it cried out, loudly.

"Hot damn, Pancham! Great job!" Josh congratulated his pokemon, but knew that this wasn't over just yet.

Quagsire fell out from the hole that it made in the wall, its eyes giving a menacing look to the assailant.

"Slam!" Liman said with a snap of his fingers, looking on as Quagsire rushed towards the panda bear, throwing itself at the puny thing.

Pancham tried to dash out of the way, only for Quagsire to land on his legs, making the panda bear yell out in pain.

"P.. Pancham... !" he grunted, his hands shaking as he began to pull himself up, clenching them into fists.

"Water gun!" Liman shouted from across the arena, his grin only getting bigger as Quagsire seemed to gain the upper hand.

Water began to well up inside its throat, eventually spewing out from its mouth and towards Pancham.

"Dodge it, hurry!" Josh cried out, giving off a sigh of relief as Pancham jumped above the blast of water.

Pancham dashed across the sand, clenching his fist as he jumped forward, slamming his knuckles against Quagsire's jaw again.

A twisted 'crack' sound emitted from Quagsire's jaw as it was flung towards the ground, skidding towards its master.

Before the two could collide, the light from the pokeball sucked it back up, signaling the gym leader's defeat.

Pancham ran towards his master, jumping into his arms and began to nuzzle his neck lovingly, "Pancham! Pancham!"

"Whoa, buddy, slow down! You did great!" Josh laughed, rubbing Pancham's head gently before tapping the pokeball on the back of his head, the light taking him back to the inside of it.

Liman made his way across the battlefield slowly, ignoring the fact that everyone had slid off of the bleachers.

Clenching his fist, he opened it up slowly, revealing the second gym's badge. It was a wheel of some kind, an outer circle that was connected to another, smaller circle through eight thick lines, with circles on the end of them. In the middle are several lines of several colors, intertwining.

Liman stood in front of Josh, a proud smile on his face as he pointed to the badge resting on his palm, "This is the Karma badge. It's yours. You have proven your worth, and you have earned it."

Josh bowed to him respectfully before plucking the badge from his hands, a wide grin on his face, "One step closer to the Pokemon League, huh? I'll be there in no time."

"One last thing, child," Liman put his hands around the winner's, his smile slowly fading, "Never become arrogant. Treat not just your pokemon with love and care, but your friends. Understand?"

"Understood, thank you, Liman." he said with a nod, exiting the gym with the group of four following him outside.

* * *

Isha grumbled slightly as they began to walk towards the Pokemon Center, seemingly disappointed with the results, "Your Pokemon are not fabulous! How could you ever win?"

"Because shut up," Joey argued, plowing his elbow into the flamboyant boy's side, causing him to wince in pain.

"What's the next town with a gym, Samuel?" Josh asked the native, having to look up just to speak with him.

"Avangela Town," Samuel answered, a blank expression on his face as he walked along with the trainer, "I'm going to be heading there right away."

"I'll be sure to see you again the-"

"JOSH! JOEY! COME HERE!" Danny called from afar, causing the two to spin around as if something was wrong.

"What is it?" Joey asked, making his way over to the younger boy, who had been staring at a poster for some time.

"The Pokelympics," Danny uttered, looking up at the advertisement, having the words 'COMPETE AT THE POKELYMPICS THIS WEEKEND!' imprinted on it, "... Are tomorrow!"


	12. Danny's Destiny

Nervous sweat rolled down the aspiring athlete's cheeks, his muscles aching from this particular training session.

Danny twiddled his thumbs as he watched Maggie toss up a block of wood again and again, each in half with a single arm thrust.

_I have to prepare everyone... I can't overdo it, but.. gosh, this is nerve-wracking.._ He thought, his teeth clenched as his partner continued her training.

"I only one hour to prepare," Danny muttered, watching as his Pancham began to fling herself at the surrounding trees, her foot crashing against them, each of them responding with a shake.

Maggie stopped suddenly, watching as her master began to sweat profusely as he sat down, pinching the bridge of his nose.

She took small steps as she walked over to him, a curious expression on her face as she tilted her head, "Pam?"

"Don't worry, Maggie," Danny said, his breath becoming heavier by the second, "I'll.. get past this."

"Will you, now?" someone asked, their footsteps creeping up behind him, turning around to see who it was.

"O-Oh, uh, hey! What's your name?" Danny asked politely, a small smile on his face as he wiped sweat from his brow, "I'm Danny!"

"What's it to you?" The boy frowned, crossing his arms, simply staring at the boy and his partner.

The boy had messy blonde hair that barely touched the back of his neck, also wearing a light green jacket, with a white shirt underneath - along with a pair of blue jeans, torn open at the knees.

Danny's smile quickly turned upside down at the kid's reaction, looking at the side of his leg to see a muscular pokemon.

He opened up his pokedex, much to the pokemon's dismay, letting it do its job and scan it throughly.

_Machop, the Superpower Pokemon. Its whole body is composed of muscles. Even though it's the size of a human child, it can hurl 100 grown-ups._

Machop is a humanoid pokemon, standing at a measley two feet. Machop has two red eyes with black irises. On its scalp, it has three brown ridges that seem embedded into it. Machop has very muscular arms and legs, its skin being a grey color in its entirety, it also has three marks along each side of its torso, as if its showing its ribs.

As the pokedex's scan came to a slow end, the monster's hand swung at the device, making it plummet to the ground, much to Danny's shock.

"Hey-"

"Oh, shut up," Mitchell interrupted, seemingly infuriated with him, "Machop doesn't want your dirty pokedex near him!"

Maggie's head turned instantly, jumping from a fragile tree branch and in front of her master, her legs spreading out as she put her fists up, growls emitting from her mouth.

"Maggie, stop it!" Danny demanded, watching as Mitchell only laughed, as if he saw some kind of demented joy in this display.

"A Pancham? What's a filthy foreigner doing here?" Mitchell snapped, his teeth clenching as he glared.

Maggie nodded to her master, putting her fists down slowly as the Machop simply placed its hand on its hip, a low, sinister chuckle escaping through his teeth.

"Stop it, just leave us alone," Danny said, shaken as his heart began to sink into his chest, feeling it beat rapidly and unforgivingly, "We're just training."

"Training? What could you possibly be training for?" Mitchell hissed, inching towards the boy without caution.

A confident smirk made its way onto Danny's face, which slowly began to brighten up his face as he lifted his head up.

"I'm training for the Pokelympics." He stated, his hand pushing the sweat from his cheeks as Mitchell glared at him.

"Really? You and your pokemon look out of shape!" Mitchell snapped at him with a devillish smirk.

"Y-yeah, well.." Danny stammered, his eyes shifting from left to right as he tried to think up a proper response, "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"Hmph," Mitchell grunted, "That's none of your business, come on, Machop."

With that, the rude boy turned and started to walk away, his partner giving Danny a sneer before following suit.

"... Oh boy.." Danny sighed, his stomach fluttering from his nervosity as he plumped onto the forest floor.

* * *

Danny's shoes crunched against the sand once more as he re-entered into Grania City, lifting his arm up to check his watch, "It's eleven in the morning? I have thirty minutes to sign up!"

Panicked, the boy began to sprint towards the pokemon center to gather his friends, only for a hand to pull him back.

Now, looking behind, he realized that it had been Josh, his hair hanging in front of his face like it always had, protecting his eyes from the sun.

Next to him had been Joey, a newly-purchased green cap resting upon his head, his black hair beneath it.

"Looking for us?" Joey asked, an eyebrow raised as his friend's hand slid off from the young athlete's shoulder.

"Y-yeah," Danny stuttered, collecting himself slowly as his breathing became short, panting every few seconds, "Just... nervous.. y-y'know?"

"Being nervous will make you lose, man," Josh gave him a nod, "That's kind of why I lost to Liman the first time I battled him. You have to keep your head in the game!"

"This is different than a gym battle, Josh," Danny protested, "I have to get out there myself, _and _I'm competing against fifteen other aspiring athletes! This isn't easy!"

Josh frowned, biting his lip in frustration, "Excuse me? When I get out in a gym battle, I have to think constantly-"

"Cut it out!" Joey snapped, shoving the trainer away from Danny carefully, "You don't need to argue. Like you said, he has to focus, practice what you preach, damn it."

Sighing simultaneously, the two both gave each other a nod before walking forward, leaving them to twiddle their thumbs.

"Okay," Josh started, an apologetic look in his eyes, "I'm sorry, it was a stupid move for me to say that. Do your best, man!"

Danny simply gave nodded, resting his hands at his sides, "Thanks, man! I'm just glad we're here on time.."

The two doors slid apart, allowing the trio to step further in and examine the inside - the lobby had a rather large room, being long enough to hold two pokemon center lobbies, as well as a black floor and blue paint all around the walls and the ceiling.

A majority of the room had been taken up by other athletes, sitting in the sofas placed on each end of the building, as well as several tables spread out among the room.

The two followed closely as Danny approached the counter, the sound of everyone's voices flooding his ear drums.

Joey sighed, looking around the room as several of the occupants would stare at them as if they were outsiders, or as if they were going to tear them limb from limb.

"These assholes give me a bad feeling," Joey mumbled to Josh, sticking closer to the two as the woman at the counter removed her hands from the desktop in front of her.

"Hello, how may I help you?" She questioned, tilting her head ever so slightly as Danny's hands started to sweat, his body shaking slightly as he took a deep breath.

"I-I'm here to enter the P-Pokelympics..."

"What is your name?" The woman asked, her hands moving to the keyboard, preparing to type whatever it was in.

"Danny Oran," He gulped, his hands unstable as he gripped his shirt downward, awaiting her next question.

"How many Pokemon do you have and what are they? This will determine which challenges you will face."

"Oh, um," Danny murmured, his train of thought nearly derailing, "I have, um... Chespin, Pidgeotto, and Pancham.."

"I see," she spoke once more, pressing the enter key, "You along with the others will be randomized, which determines who will be in the pokelympics and who are not... allow me to see your results, as the others have been chosen..."

A loud ringing pierced the sound barriers, causing nearly everyone in the room to groan in frustration, pressing their palms to their ears.

A robotic voice spoke aloud from the speakers, slowly reading out the names... Aiden, Elizabeth, Mitchell-

_M-mitchell? No way.. no way.. just my luck.. _Danny's teeth clenched together as his hands began to shake once more.

Josh placed a hand on his shoulder as he began to shake, a bright smile on his face, "Calm down, man. You can do this."

"Right, right.." Danny said within a sigh, watching as a few of the spectators or even the athletes began to glare at him.

"... Danny," the speaker finished, "Congratulations. Welcome to the Pokelympics."

A sigh of relief fell from the young athelete's lungs once again, a slight smirk curving his lips upward.

"That scared me..." He spoke aloud to his two friends, placing his hand on his chest as his heartbeat slowed down.

Fifteen of the others picked themselves off their seats, some giving pitiful looks to the athletes who had been rejected, and some just giving a cocky smirk.

The doors slid open as Danny approached it, the others would surely trample him if he even dared to slide into the line.

"I'll see you guys later," Danny murmured, watching as his friends only gave him two different looks.

Joey blankly looked at him, giving him a nod as Josh rose his thumb upward, sharing a brief smile with him as well.

As Danny roamed the hall with the other competitors, he couldn't help but wonder where had they been walking to this whole time, but he could see a light at the end of the hallway.

Exiting from the long-winded hallway, a breath of fresh air fell from his mouth as the cool outside air brushed against his skin.

Danny stood at the very end of the line as they spread out, each and every one of them standing behind a white line.

Just a few feet away from the separating white line was a man with his arms crossed, being covered with black sleeves, the rest of his front in a black suit, a white tie drooping down his chest. On his legs were black dress pants, and he wore what Danny assumed to be tap-dancing shoes, but he might have been wrong.

_Dressed formally for Pokelympics? I've seen it on TV, but gosh.. it's so weird in person.. _Danny thought to himself, breathing deeply to calm himself down as the man turned around.

A microphone twirled in his hand, grinning as he opened his mouth to speak, "Welcome, welcome, participants! My name is Smogon! Let me get the laydown for ya! Each of you will be competing in three different events, and by the end, eight of you will be eliminated out of all sixteen! The three challenges we have for you this time around are flying, boxing, and racing! These will start in approximately thirty minutes, so prepare yourselves young athletes!"

Danny's eyes roamed to see each trainer release their partners from their pokeballs, each of them giving one another inspirational speeches or words of encouragement.

Tossing his three pokeballs in the air, his three partners cried out at the same time - Patience the Pidgeotto, Maggie the Pancham, and Pokey the Chespin.

Pidgeotto pushed its wings against each end of its body, the other two simply standing there as he looked up at their master as he bent down.

"Patience, I'm sure you know what you're going to be here for. Do your best and fly the fastest, okay?" He smiled brightly at his bird pokemon who simply chirped in response.

Maggie and Pokey both eagerly looked up to their trainer, the two pondering what they would be doing in this competition.

"Maggie, you're going to be in the boxing match," Danny spoke, getting a happy nod in return, "And Pokey.. er.. you're for racing."

Pokey looked at him questioningly, as it was known that his species wasn't very fast, so he could only hope for the best.

"Well, who is this unfabulous boy we have here?" Danny turned around, only to see a figure twirling rapidly, his hair spinning along with him, "It is I, the glorious Isha!"

"O-oh, hey there... unfabulous?" Danny quietly asked, eyeing the ground as his pokemon retreated back into their pokeballs, "Wh-what the heck?"

"They are stunned by beauty, I see!" Isha shook his shoulder roughly, a look of desperation on his face, "Fear not, for I shall dazzle the masses with my almighty fabulous Pokemon!"

"Are you nervous?" Danny pondered, a grin rising up on his face as he narrowed his eyes towards the flamboyant trainer, thinking that he had lost his cool.

"N-no! My beautiful will never give in, and I shall always be determined yet fabulous! Your eyes fool you!" Isha proclaimed, dashing away, his arms flailing.

"Hahahaha.. ha.." Danny laughed half-heartedly as he turned back around, only to gasp slightly when he saw Mitchell had his back turned to him from afar.

Bells rang loudly as the two open doors to the outside arena slid open, spectators flooding the field, most of them trying to spot out their own friends.

Josh and Joey stepped onto the field, their eyes roaming the land before them, before something called out from behind them.

"Guys, hey!" They turned around to discover a rather excited Danny now, his hands waving frantically.

"Oh, Danny! How're you holding up?" Josh asked, a warm smile on his face as their friend approached.

He shook from excitement, his hands unable to settle down as he looked at the two, "Beyond pumped! The matches start in twenty-five minutes now..."

"I've wanted to know something for a bit, Danny," Joey would step forward, his friend's eyebrow rising in question, "Mind if I ask why you want to be a Pokeathlete?"

"That's a... bit of a heavy question, but I'll give it my best shot..."

* * *

_I've been traveling the world as long as I can remember.. well, my mom and dad did the traveling, I can barely remember anything._

_We moved from region to region, planning on settling down in Sinnoh, but.. somethings happened, unexpectedly._

_My dad left us to chase his own dreams, and we haven't see him since. I was ten years old when he left, and I was really lonely._

_I didn't have any friends, I really just.. watched television, mainly the Pokemon League challenges, or the Pokelympics._

_I just spoke with my mom every day, and that was it for me. I'm sure by doing this I'll make a name for myself, get my dad's attention, but none of that matters._

_I'm doing this for me. It's what I've always wanted to be, and no one will stop me. _

_I only have one thing that I remember my dad by... it's a necklace, but it has a clock attached to it as well. It's one half of it, at least._

_He doesn't have the other half, and I wish I knew where it was, but I always think about it whenever I need an extra push._

* * *

"I hope that was the answer you wanted, Joey," Danny took a quick breath, panting a bit from his confession, "No one really knows about that."

"Well, I'm sure you'll just have to do your best, then." Joey said bluntly, walking over to the seats.

"I know you can win this, man!" Josh exclaimed enthusiastically, "Give it your all!"

"I will!"

"Damn right."

* * *

Each of the competitors stood inside of the building, flat-screen televisions showing off each match - the same with the spectators, except that they watched from the outside, the area having several television screens pinned to the walls.

Danny's ears rang as the crowd cheered from the seats, his face being viewed from above as a machine of some kind hovered several feet off the ground, a camera on the bottom of its lower half, hanging from a metal plate.

"Welcome to the first annual Pokelympics, folks! For our first event, we have boxing!" The announcer shouted into his microphone, his hand raised as he stood away from the arena.

The camera zoomed out, showing a white pokeball design for the arena, with the announcer backing away from it slowly.

"Here are the rules! You MUST have a fighting type Pokemon, and the first one who is knocked out of the ring, or faints, is the loser! Quite simple, huh? Without further ado, let's introduce our first two competitors!"

As the camera pointed towards the doors, one young man skipped out with glee with his pokeball in hand, his hair flowing behind him.

"First we have Isha from the Hoenn region! Isha's entry in this fight is his..." he slowed down, watching as Isha slid a card into his hand, "... what's this?"

"Read it."

"Isha's entry in this fight is his fabulous Combusken!" He exclaimed, seeing that Isha had begun to twirl as he threw his pokeball to the arena, his pokemon taking shape.

_Combusken, the Young Fowl Pokemon. Combusken is the evolved form of Torchic. During a battle, the hot flame in its body increases. Its kicks have outstanding destructive power. _

Despite being much larger than its previous form, Combusken is only half the size of an average human. Combusken's bottom half is a bright orange color, with its knees being two rather large balls. It has grey chicken feet, with four sharp talons on the end of each member. Its upper half is a bright yellow, having three claws on each hand. Combusken has orange eyes with black iris, as well have having a red crest on the top of its head, having three orange points that resemble a flame.

Out from the other end was the other challenger, calmly walking towards the pokeball in the center, his fingers clenching the top of his pokeball.

"Here we have Danny from our very own Middleleaf Town! Isha's entry in this fight is his Pancham, Maggie."

"Go, Maggie, I choose you!" Danny called out, the fire in his eyes growing as he tossed the pokeball, his faithful Pancham slipping out quickly.

Isha's Combusken stepped forward as the announcer quickly removed himself from the situation, a small smirk on its face.

"Combusss.." It hummed lowly, flexing its muscles as it took aim at Maggie, who simply crossed her arms defiantly.

"Let the match begin!"

"Combusken, use scratch on that disgusting creature!" Isha commanded, his Combusken dashing forward, its claws extending as it slashed at Maggie.

"Duck, then counter with arm thrust!" Danny cried out, sweat rolling down the side of his head, his breathing trying to calm itself.

Maggie ducked below the impending strike, her arm stretching out and planting itself against the Combusken's gut, smashing her palm against it repeatedly before it growled, backing up slightly.

"Use, uh.. use double kick!" Isha ordered cluelessly, his Combusken charging ahead with its right foot forward.

"Grab it!" Maggie's companion pleaded, obeying by cluthing the talon, her eyes narrowing as if she could read Danny's mind.

Danny felt as if they had suddenly clicked then and there, as he was going to tell her to use circle throw - only for Maggie to spin around, tossing the chicken Pokemon back at its owner.

"COMBUSKEEEEEN!" It flailed wildly, crashing into Isha as its head hung low, unconcious from the impact.

"You.. you.. you've dirtied my clothes, you heathen!" Isha angrily screamed, taking his Combusken by its arm, throwing it over his shoulder before walking to the exit.

"What an easy win for Danny! He is one of many who will be moving onto the next round!" The announcer concluded, happily shaking the young man's hand.

Roars from the crowd once again invaded Danny's ears, a confident smile on his face now. His only thought could be: _Bring it on._

The next few matches ended rather quickly, with the announcer standing in the middle of the ring - a boy and his Machop standing by.

"Mitchell is the winner! Congratulations!" Smogon sang happily, somewhat surprised when the boy hardly showed much emotion.

"Too easy..." Mitchell murmered, his pokeball sucking his fighting type back inside.

The roar of the crowd once again took over the arena, watching as Mitchell made his way back inside the building.

The announcer stepped back into the arena, his microphone between his fingers, "Ahem! We will be back soon! Please, head into the next arena, which we will use for the flying competition!"

Josh looked towards his friend as he stood up on the bleachers, his hand on his hip, "Let's get going, we can't miss this!"

".. Right.." He replied, before his mind retreating back to the thought of Mitchell.

_Something about him seemed off.. I'll have to keep my eyes open._

* * *

The second area stretched out much farther than the previous, the ceiling extending several hundred feet above the seats.

Attached to the glass ceiling were several rings, which had to be used for something yet it brought mostly confusion to the spectators.

The announcer stepped out once again, his mic twirling within his hand before he suddenly caught it, his fingers forcefully pressing down on the handle.

"Welcome to the second event, ladies and gentlemen! This is the flying contest, where our contestants will try and see how many points they can gain by flying through each hoop that is connected to the ceiling! Trainers, release your Pokemon!"

Danny tossed his pokeball out onto the open area, his Pidgeotto spreading its wings wide as it called out. "Geotto!~"

"Glad to see you're ready, Patience! You look better than ever!" Danny complimented, resting his hand on his pokemon's wing.

Mitchell rolled his eyes, tossing out his pokemon as well, nearly at the same time as all the others, "Go, Fearow!"

Watching from the bleachers, Josh watched the pokemon take form as he slid out his pokedex, carefully holding it up.

"I've never seen a bird Pokemon that huge before.." He mumbled to himself, earning a roll of the eyes from Joey.

".. Seriously? You really didn't get out much, then..." Joey said in a sigh, his legs crossed as he scanned the pokemon himself.

_Fearow, the Beak Pokemon. With its huge and magnificent wings, it can keep aloft without ever having to land or rest. _

Fearow is one of the largest bird Pokemon in the Kirei region, having enormous, majestic wings with a grey tint at the tip of each feather on the very end of the limb, the rest of its skin being a brown color. It has four brown tail feathers on its rear-end. Atop Fearow's head is a set of hair similar to that of a mohawk, having a red color and spikes up five times. Fearow also has a rather elongated pink beak, its most threatening tool. Last, but not least, are its small but powerful talons.

The bird pokemon stretched its wings out twice the amount that Patience could possibly achieve, as if it were showing off.

A sly grin slid onto Mitchell's face as the crowd clapped at the magnificence of his wings, completely taken aback by such a show.

The other contestants frowned, their excited smiles slowly diminishing aside from Danny, whose grin matched his rival's.

"We have this, Patience! I believe in you!" Danny preached to his Pidgeotto encouragingly, receiving a smile in return.

Patience simply nodded as his eyes averted the opponent, awaiting the blow of the whistle that would signal the beginning of the channel.

"So, that's his little trick, huh?" Joey couldn't help but softly smirk, "All he can do is play off the audience's feelings and the lack of confidence in his enemies... I could do so much better with Fennekin alone."

_Either way, Danny is going to have trouble with this guy.. who knows what stunts he's going to pull?_ Joey thought, resting his back against the seat behind him.

"Into the air, young athletes! Begin!" Smogon announced, throwing his mic into the air as each and every trainer jumped onto their bird pokemon.

Wind pierced the air as Patience began to flap his wings again and again, diving beek first into the first hoop, taking a full head start.

"Holy crap, good job, Patience!" Danny cried out in the midst of the calls of the other Pokemon, his fingers latching onto Pidgeotto's feathers.

Mitchell bit his lip before focusing his eyes onto Danny and his partner, eying them carefully before brushing his hand through his Fearow's feathers, slowly pressing it against its beak.

His eyes seemed to be attached to the pokemon ahead of him, his fingers clutching onto his partner's feathers once more as they dived downward, the cold wind rushing through his blonde hair.

As Patience spun upward, a rush of air flew from behind him, as well as his master, an enormous wing pushing against his own inferior wing.

"What the heck?!" Danny shouted, his eyes wide with fear as Mitchell's Fearow flew beside him, his beak pressed up against Pidgeotto's side, spinning constantly.

"P-Pidgeotto!" Patience squawked, the thin beak nearly piercing through his flesh as he began to spiral downward, headfirst.

Smogon audibly gasped into the microphone, "Danny's Pidgeotto is out of control! Mitchell's Fearow attacked it as a sign of dominance is what I am assuming!"

Josh quickly stood up, sprinting into the field with fear in every breath that he managed to squeeze out, his arms wide open.

"Danny, come on! Recall Pidgeotto, I'll catch you!" Josh called out, looking up expectantly as his arms stretched out even further.

"A friend has seemed to come out onto the field, despite our rescue crew who have been informed! This is certainly unexpected!"

"O-okay!" He stammered, his eyes shutting tight as he plucked his pokeball off from his belt, sucking his fallen friend into the ball.

"Oof!" Josh grunted, his rear planting itself firmly onto the ground as his friend crashed into his arms, backing up into his chest as he slowly opened his eyes once again.

"H-holy cow.. thanks a bunch, Josh.. I.. I need to sit for a bit..." Danny said tiredly, his hand resting on his chest as Josh slid off the ground and onto his feet.

Smogon jogged over to the competitor, his microphone surprisingly in his back pocket.. this had to be something important.

"Here, kid," He whispered, extending his hand to Danny who took his hand with appreciation, pulling himself to his two feet, "Are you alright?"

"Um, y-yeah," Danny gulped, rubbing the side of his head nervously, "Did I interrupt the competition...?"

"Not at all, but, I need you to answer a question for me," Smogon responded, slipping his own bottle of water into the kid's hand, "Do you still want to keep going? It's entirely up to you-"

"Of course I'm going to keep going!" Danny interrupted, even though his feelings had been mixed now, "I'll just wait for the last competition."

Smogon finished the conversation with a nod, flipping his microphone out from his back pocket as Danny approached the seats, downing the bottled water within a few seconds.

"There ya have it folks! Danny is taking a break until the next round! Let's get back to our other contestants!"

Danny plumped down next to his friends, between both of them as he sighed, staring at Patience's pokeball.

Joey bit his lip in frustration, grabbing the pokeball from his hand and holding it above his head, "You're not doing this now!"

"Wh-what am I doing?!"

"Dwelling! That's how mistakes are made! Do you want to know the real reason Patience fainted?"

"Isn't it because Mitchell accidentally bumped into me?"

Joey slapped his palm against his own forehead, throwing the pokeball back into Danny's lap as he took him by the shoulders.

"I saw his expression, Danny. He's intimidating other contestants and appealing to the crowd to gain the upper hand! You know what you do?"

Danny blinked at him unknowingly, a somewhat quizzical look on his face now, "... I don't understand... but what is it?"

"You don't show him your fear. You intimidate him with Chespin next time! Pokey isn't exactly the fastest Pokemon, or the strongest, but you can probably do something with the surroundings!" Joey lectured, setting his shoulders loose, "Got it?"

"... Got it!"

"There it is, ladies and gentlemen!" Smogon cried out, the whine of several whistles resonating into the air.

Flowing onto the open field smoothly was the Fearow, the assailaint from earlier, holding the mastermind on its back.

"Mitchell is the winner of this round! Please, await for the announcement to move into the next arena!"

* * *

The camera zoomed in over the next field over, having elements of the outside world - grass was planted along each side, marking the boundaries between the inside and the outside.

As the camera zoomed outward, the audience would clearly be able to see the several trees easily, a dirt trail leading into it.

It panned over to Smogon, the last of the spectators taking their seats as they lookd down upon the arena, their voices making up the crowded atmosphere.

Tiny conversations could be heard here and there, but it didn't stop Smogon from twirling the microphone once again.

"Welcome to the last event of them all! Let me explain what this means! You see, the competitors all compete in this race at the same time. Whoever gets to the Pokelympics flag at the very end is the winner! When this is over, we will determine who showed the most skill, care, and athletic ability once the winner is determined! You may begin!" Smogon announced, tossing his mic in the air as each trainer threw out their pokemon.

"Go, Pokey!" Danny shouted, tossing his third and final partner from his ball, a wide grin upon Chespin's face as he rolled onto the ground before picking himself up.

"Jolteon, get out, now!" Mitchell could be heard easily, merely pressing the button on the pokeball as his pokemon took form.

_Jolteon, the Lightning Pokemon. Every hair on its body starts to stand sharply on end if it becomes charged with electricity. _

Jolteon's entire body has a coat of yellow fur around it, the end of its body having a spiky look to it, as well as the white fur around its neck. Jolteon stands on four legs, typically. It also has purple eyes, as well as two large ears which are colored with a deep purple on the inside.

"Let's go, Pokey!" Danny exclaimed, receiving a nod from his partner in response as they began to sprint.

"Ches... Chespin!" Pokey grunted as they trudged into the artificial forest, the trees hiding the sunlight as footsteps haunted them from behind.

"Come on, Pokey... why aren't they catching up? This can't be a tactic of his..." Danny murmured to himself, Pokey's panting growing as he stopped running, looking down with his eyes shut.

Suddenly, a shadow engulfed Pokey, its fur spiking up as it shared a menacing glare with Danny, electricity rising up from its body.

"Jolteon, thundershock!"

It was Mitchell.

"Jolt!" Jolteon chanted this again and again, an aura of electricity forming around his body as it shot towards Chespin within a second, the lightning coursing through his tiny form.

Pokey winced in from the shock, the static emitting from his body, looking up at his master from the ground he had fallen on.

Tears began to form in Danny's eyes, strolling down his cheeks as he bent down to Pokey, holding him in his arms. "I... I don't understand.."

"Pathetic, you can't even match up to something you resist. Shows how great my Jolteon is!" Mitchell gloated, chuckling lowly.

Danny's head lifted a bit, looking towards Mitchell with a look of pure disdain, as if he didn't care what happened in this moment.

"Ches.. piin.." Pokey whined, his body starting to glow a bright white, its form slowly stretching out.

"Wh.. what the hell?!" Mitchell cried, slowly backing up as his Jolteon growled, digging its feet into the dirt like a bull.

"Qulladin!" He sang, a single pair of teeth sticking out from his mouth, jumping up into the air with two open arms.

_Quilladin, the Spiny Armor Pokemon. They strengthen their lower bodies by running into one another. They are very kind and won't start fights._

Quilladin is a rather rotund Pokemon, having an entire shell of green armor protecting its entire body aside from the face. On its head are two long prickly ears, the top half being orange - the same trait it shares with its tail. Its underside is a dark brown color, as well as its underarms.

"You.. evolved.." Danny's hand slowly covered his mouth in pure shock, the tears continuing to roll, "You really do like me.."

Pokey simply nodded, before turning to the enemy that had shocked him from before - the Jolteon.

"Use your new skills to get us through this, Pokey!" Danny pointed his finger at the Jolteon, a confident grin on his face despite the tears.

"Quill!" Pokey jumped into the air once more, pulling his arms and legs together as he rolled into a ball.

"Full speed ahead!" His trainer shouted as he accelerated into the electric-type, experiencing a heavy twinge.

Danny sprinted as Pokey rolled across the ground, before spotting the flag in the back of the forest - there was a pokeball symbol stamped onto it.

Lunging, Danny reached his hands out as he grabbed the white pole, sliding down quickly as his rear bounced against the dirt floor.

A sigh of relief fell from his lungs as Pokey rolled up to him, rubbing against his cheek affectionately.

"We did it... we're definitely on our way now.."

* * *

Smogon stood in front of the audience, his hands clapping in joy as he turned to the line of the now fifteen competitors (as Isha had decided to run off earlier).

"This has been a great Pokelympics folks, and it's only going to get more challenging from here!" He shouted into his microphone excitedly, turning to the audience once again, "I think you all know our first place winner! Danny from Middleleaf Town, and his team of Maggie the Pancham, Patience the Pidgetto, and Pokey the newly evolved Quilladin!"

Danny looked out onto the crowd as a large grin spread across his lips, his heart pounding wildly as he looked into the sea of people.

"Unfortunatley," Smogon started on a less happy tone, "Seven of you have been eliminated, not including the one who ran off frm earlier. I'm sorry to say, but only eight of you will only make it to the next Pokelympics! Let me read off the names!"

Danny zoned out for a moment, looking at the pokeball that he had kept his starter pokemon in all this time.

_Maybe this is what my destiny is... to become friends with as many Pokemon as I can, and to make great friends like Josh and Joey. If it weren't for them, I'd be out of this competition at the very start... _

_I sure hope you're watching, dad..._

Danny gripped the watch around his neck, a single tear flowing down his cheek as he looked towards the crowd once more, spotting his two friends - he ran to them.

* * *

The trio stood outside of the building, both of them taking a spot at Danny's side as they slowly began to walk away, each with a proud smile on their face.

"You did damn good, Danny," Josh complimented, slapping his back encouragingly.

Danny nodded, still clenching his starter's pokeball, "Yeah.. really, thank you guys so much! You did a lot for me!"

"It's what friends are for, Danny, but... you can't always rely on us. You have to learn to be less reliant... y'know?" Joey informed him, a rather cold tone to his voice.

"Y-yeah, I know-"

"Hey, you, prick!" A sharp voice insulted, the three turning their heads to see the blonde-headed boy himself - Mitchell.

"What do you want..?" Danny asked nervously, backing away as the boy tried to make himself more intimidating, stomping towards him.

"Hold on a minute, Mitbitch," Joey insulted in return, leaning towards him as he stabbed his finger onto Mitchell's chest.

"Get away from me, I'm trying to speak with this loser! You don't get it-"

"Let me guess what you are going to say," Joey closed his eyes, taking a brief calm breath, "I don't get what you went through for you to get this far. I'm inferior. Is that right?"

Mitchell's eyes widened with fear as he took a step back, looking towards the sandy ground, "... Whatever. I'm out."

His feet picked him up quickly as he began to run, allowing Joey to hold his stomach as he chuckled.

"That's right, Danny. We'll always be here."


	13. Street Fighter

Crystal clear water gently moved beneath the hillside, brushing up against the grass every once in a while as clouds passed through the beautiful blue sky.

"What a beautiful day!" Danny cheered aloud, running past his two friends as he stared into the sky happily.

"I'm just happy we're out of that damn city," Josh whined, looking down into the clear waters, "Where exactly are we?"

"We're in the outskirts of Duola Town," Joey responded, shutting the guidebook within his hand, "One of the more relaxing spots of Kirei. No gyms, it's not a big city.. we can just relax."

"Thank Arceus," Josh sighed with relief, a small smile on his face now, "I can't believe it's almost been a month since we left Middleleaf Town.. it's kinda weird to have that small town feeling again, y'know, Danny?"

"Yeah, it's so nostalgic," the cheerful boy replied with a content smile, "Oh! I have an idea! We should go fishing! The lake looks beautiful!"

Josh and Joey both looked to the lake, the sun reflecting from the clean waters as it smoothly ran below them.

"That's not a bad idea, Danny," Joey said in agreement, giving a nod, "We'll have to go rent some fishing rods, but what the hell? Let's do it!"

* * *

The Pokemon Center doors slid open as the trio exited, each of them holding a replica of the same fishing rod in their hands.

"This brings back memories," Danny said with a breath of fresh air, walking behind the Pokemon Center.

Behind the hospital was a moderately sized dock, stretching wide enough so that at least five people could sit on the edge.

Light bounced off the clear waters, as if Mother Nature was showing off how gorgeous its creation was.

"I remember when we used to go fishing all the time back when we were kids! Dad would show us how to catch a Pokemon while we were fishing!" Josh commented, sitting down on the edge of the wooden dock, his feet swinging back and forth.

"Maybe I can catch something here," Joey responded, placing a pokeball at his side with caution.

Danny nodded as he sat between the two, hurling the fishing line into the waters, his hands holding the fishing rod tight, "I really hope there's Remoraid in this lake! I've always wanted one!"

It wasn't long before the hook at the end of Danny's line began to traverse through the water, a slight force tugging downward.

"Oh boy, this one is a whopper!" Danny grunted, his fingers clenching onto the wooden pole, fighting to pull the line to the surface.

As a fin or two emerged from the depths, a sudden cry erupted behind Danny before something crashed into the back of his head.

Nearly falling off the dock, he managed to hold onto the edge of it as he looked at the culprit, their eyes shut in pain.

"M... mienfooo.."

Joey couldn't help but smile as he picked his pokedex from his pocket, holding it up to the creature, "If you are what I think you are..."

_Mienfoo, the Martial Arts Pokemon. It takes pride in the speed at which it can use moves. What it loses in power, it makes up for in quantity. _

Mienfoo is a bipedal pokemon, standing on two pink, short legs with the foot being a paw. Behind it is a bright cream-colored tail which has a pink edge. Its torso is a cream color as well, having a pink band around its long neck. On both of its arms appear to be weighted pink masses, with its paws at the end of each arm. It has two small ears, and one whisker on each cheek. On its forehead are two black ovals, and its eyes are a purple color.

"Excuuuuse me!" A rather pleasant and deep voice called from atop the hill behind them, his hand on his side when he at last reached the three of them, "I apologize, young men. This Mienfoo challenged my dojo, and well.. the result is quite obvious."

Joey turned to get a good look at the man, who seemed to be wearing some sort of martial arts uniform. He had a white gi covering his entire body, a part of his chest visible in a V-line. His short black hair was slicked black, and also had a red headband across his head.

"He sure talks formally for his appearance.." Josh gossiped to Danny quietly, a hand covering a side of his mouth.

Before the dojo master could retort, Joey had interrupted, "It challenged your dojo? For what reason?"

"Well, first of all, let me introduce myself," he replied, adjusting his gi, "My name is Bren Hans, but please, call me Hans. This Mienfoo has shown up everyday to try and take down Ryu, my Monferno, but it's always to no avail. He doesn't know how to control his strength one bit."

Joey only nodded, before moving out of the other two's view, "My name is Joey, and these are my friends Danny and Josh. I have an idea about the Mienfoo, however."

"Oh? Do tell."

"I'd like to see that Mienfoo fight with you. I'm interested in this little guy," Joey answered, getting a glance from the mentioned pokemon.

Hans crossed his arms, furrowing his brow as he looked back at the lone Pokemon, then back at the young trainer.

"Well?"

Giving a slight sigh, a smirk curled up on his lips, "Sure, I don't see why not! Let's all head to the dojo, it's just up the hill from here."

The trio set their fishing rods on the dock, each of them walking side by side as they trudged through the grassy terrain.

"I'm wondering something," Danny spoke up, breaking the silence, "Why do you speak so formally? You would seem like a roughneck, if anything.."

Hans frowned at the term he had thrown out, but managed to wave it off, "Well, I was raised in a rather wealthy family, but I always had a love for all kinds of fighting. It's my dream in life to become a fighting-type member of the Elite Four, but my parents never really approved it. So, I moved out here into Duola Town when I turned eighteen. I was always taught to be polite, but that's why I'm like this."

"That's a strange mix," Josh responded.

"Yes, I suppose so."

Eventually, the group had managed to come across the top of the hill, a purely wooden building standing before them.

A wooden dojo had been resting atop the hill, being rather bulky as it seemed that it also had a second floor resting upon the first. Wooden support beams held it up on each end, seemingly stable all around.

"It's pleasant to look at your own creation, isn't it?" Hans asked rhetorically, "I built this dojo by myself. It's my home, as well - please, go in."

Joey had stepped in first, studying his surroundings - all in all, it seemed like a normal dojo. The walls were made out of wood just like the rest of it, looking at the mats that had been placed from the first step, to the very end of the room.

Mienfoo stared into the dojo, nervous sweat rolling down his temple as he clenched his teeth, a slight restrained smile of excitement underneath the tense air.

"What's up with him?" Josh asked.

"He remembers my dojo," Hans responded before motioning the three to follow, gving a wave of his hand, "Come. You will watch Mienfoo and Ryu do battle."

Hans spread his legs apart at the very last mat, swiping a pokeball from the inside of his gi as he pressed the button to ready his fighting partner as he stared at the Mienfoo, who happened to look up into the fighter's eyes, both of them sharing a look of determination.

"Ryu, go forth my friend!"

_Monferno, the Playful Pokemon. It skillfully controls the intensity of the fire on its tail to keep its foes at an ideal distance. _

Monferno has a coat of orange fur over the mjority of its body, as well as a burning flame on the end of its lengthy tail. It has a blue band over its eyes, in which it has orange eyelids and two black eyes. Above its nostrils is a red bnd as well. It has five digits on each hand, and a golden band circulating over each as well.

"Ferno!" Ryu shouted with pride, planting his fist on his own chest firmly while he stared deep into Mienfoo's eyes.

Mienfoo's legs suddenly locked in place as Ryu charged at the poor thing, throwing its fist at mach speed, the force pushing the poor fighter into the wooden wall.

"M-mien..." He grunted, his teeth grinding as he began to shake, sliding out from the dent his body had made in the wall.

Monferno had quickly latched itself to the wall before pouncing, spinning quickly as the flame on its tail engulfed its body.

"Flame wheel, my friend!" Hans commanded, his fist striking the wall as his feet stomped the ground firmly.

Ryu buried its flames into Mienfoo slowly as it ran over his small body over and over, half of his fur completely burned.

"Mienfoo, come here!" Joey interrupted, stepping in front of the two martial artists, "I'll be helping Mienfoo from this point on.. give me a minute to discuss some strategy with him.."

Joey scooped up the injured weasel, patting his head as he sprayed a potion onto its burnt skin, the marks quikly fading away.

"Here's what we're gonna do," he whispered as Mienfoo's ears perked up, "When I tell you to use force palm, grab onto Ryu's tail. Then, I'll command you from there - this will only work once, so focus, okay?"

"... Mien." Mienfoo nodded, his hands clasped together as he bowed to the sneaky trainer, a confident smirk returning to his face.

"Are you ready to continue?" Hans questioned, tilting his head to the pair who nodded at the same time.

"Any time you're ready," Joey responded.

"Use flame wheel again, Ryu!" Hans called.

"Not so fast, use force palm!" Joey interjected as Mienfoo rushed at the ape with his palm open, only to duck below and grab Ryu by the tail, "Toss him!"

Mienfoo grunted as Ryu's tail skidded out from his hand, the fighter ape's foot managing to land onto the ground.

"Quick, turn and use mach punch!"

Ryu instantly twisted around, throwing his rock-hard fist at the weasel at high speed, only to receive a chuckle from Joey.

"Fake out, then finish him with drain punch!"

Mienfoo spreads his legs out as he took his hands apart, smacking both of them on Ryu's temples.

His fist began to give off a golden glow as he bent downward, firmly shoving his knuckles into the shocked ape's abdomen.

Mienfoo pushed forward as Monferno's gut _crunched_ while it clutched it weakly, falling to both of its knees.

"Ryu! How.. how did I lose? This was not expected..." Hans bent down to his partner, tapping the pokeball upon his head to watch the light engulf the unconcious martial artist.

Mienfoo turned to Joey, his hands firmly grasping the boy's pantleg, much to the trainer's shock, "Huh..? What is it?"

"I think Mienfoo wants you to be his trainer, Joey!" Danny cheered with a gleeful smile, raising his hands into the air.

"Lucky bastard," Josh commented, patting his friend on the back with pride, "You did damn good, man. You saved his ass!"

Joey gave a brief sigh before tapping a pokeball against the weasel's head, who had ended the contact with a grateful smile.

"Mienfoo managed to overcome my childhood friend," Hans said, more shocked than saddened, "I have never met such a formidable fighter. Please, when I train more excessively, come have a rematch."

"Of course," Joey bowed, "Don't think the result will be any different, though!"

* * *

The trio looked onto the bright horizon as the sun began to set slowly, standing atop a hill that led to another field.

"The second half of Duola town is up ahead.. you guys wanna camp it out? I'm getting tired of Pokemon Centers." Josh said, pressing his hands against his back while he stretched outwards.

"Yeah! We haven't camped since our first night out, and now we have you with us, Joey! Oh man, I gotta few ghost stories to tell you!" Danny replied excitedly, his hands practically shaking from the thought of it.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get going!"

With that, the trio took off towards the field in high hopes as the sun set, happiness high in their hearts.


	14. Not So Homesick

Dark clouds rolled over the empty grasslands of Duola Town, tiny drops of rain staining the roofs of trees as well as the dirt paths - but most importantly, the tent that our heroes had set up in the middle of the grassy field.

"Oof!" Danny grunted, his rear having the displeasure of landing on a stone as soon as he divebombed into the tent.

"If you do that, you're going to tear it down," Joey said in response, "I would sure like it if you'd be more careful and not so clumsy."

"I'd sure like it if you weren't such an asshat," Josh shot back on behalf of Danny, glaring at Joey.

"What makes me an asshat? I just don't want this thing to crash down!" He exclaimed, sighing right after as he rolled his eyes.

"Guys, guys, please stop arguing!" Danny begged, clasping his two hands together as he motioned to each of the trainers, "Let's just enjoy each other's company! I think it's going to rain soon, from the look of those clouds-"

CRACK!

A blast of lightning lit up the inside of the tent, prompting Danny to quickly zip the door of their shelter quickly.

Thunder rumbled loudly, causing Josh to jump from fright as he layed against the back of the tent, as if he were trying to hide.

".. Are.. are you afraid of storms?" Joey asked, prying into his friend's sudden fear, "Well, it is _you_, Danny."

"W-what do you mean, Joey?" Danny responded, his fingers digging into the corners of the tent as he shut his eyes in fear.

"Joey, what the hell? That was uncalled for you little-"

"It was uncalled for you to call me an asshat, you piece of-"

"Guys, stop fighting!" Danny pleaded, grabbing the two of them by their shoulders, "We shouldn't be acting like animals! We're all friends here!"

Josh shrugged slightly, mumbling, "... I'm sorry, Joey."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I'm sorry, too." Joey responded with a roll of his eyes as the sky lit up once more, the drizzle outside becoming louder with each passing second.

Awkward silence occupied the now tense atmosphere surrounding the three, only for Josh to try and clear it.

"Oh, uh, where did the guidebook say the third gym is again?" He asked, turning to Danny who quickly shuffled for the book, pulling it from his backpack.

After flipping page after page, he came to a stopping point, "It's not too far from here. Avangela Town is right outside of Lunegra forest, which we'll encounter not too long after we leave!"

"Really? Aweso-"

Josh stopped short, the sound of footsteps approaching their tent, making the trio quite uneasy.

"Who the hell would be out here in the middle of a thunderstorm?" Joey asked aloud before his friend shushed him with a slap to the knee.

They could see the tall shadow standing above the tent before it began to bend down, running its hand along the outside of it.

"Can.. can you let me in, please?! I need some shelter for a few minutes! Please!" The shadow begged.

"Come in!" Danny answered, zipping the tent door open as the man poked his head in before bending down in the front, water dripping off his brown hair.

Josh fell silent as he looked upon his face, looking to the tent floor as the man observed the shelter.

"I was just looking for my son! I've been searching for him for days now! Do you two gentlemen know where I can..." He came to a sudden stop as he turned to the third boy, who just so happened to be Josh with his hair hanging low and in front of his face.

"... Hey, dad." Josh welcomed him in a mumble, the revelation forcing Danny to look back and forth between the two.

"Wait, what? I didn't recognize you because of the rain, Mr. Silverson!" Danny cheered with a small, warm smile towards the man, "Weird, you didn't really notice me either!"

"Please, just call me Johnny, Danny," he nodded to the excited child, "It's because you've grown so much! You have been on a journey for a little over a month now!"

Joey looked at the man as if he were clueless, before scooting towards the him, "Wait, you're Josh's dad? You seem a lot more laid-back than I would think.. and caring."

"What do you mean by that?" Johnny asked with a frown, turning to his son who just scratched at his arm, nervously.

Joey scratched at the side of his head, trying to pull up a thought or two, "Well.. he acts like a damn jerk to me, yet you're really kind. He's never talked about you this whole time!"

"Yeah, well, neither do you..." Josh whispered to himself, shooting a glare to Joey, "So stop accusing me."

Johnny merely shook his head, extending his hand to his son, "Come on, Josh. We're leaving, right now! Your mom is worried sick!"

"Liar," Josh snapped, "Mom wasn't worried at all when I left! You can't fool me with that! Besides, why didn't you just keep me from leaving when I first set off? Do you want to just take my accomplishments and rip them out of my damn hands?"

"It's only been a month, what could have you possibly done that means so much to you?" Johnny asked through his teeth, his hand quickly curling up into a shaking fist.

"I have three Pokemon, I have two best friends, and I have two gym badges! I'm going to become the Champion and fulfill my dreams! I'm not going to leave these guys all alone, either. I promised I would always be here for them, especially Danny! He needs someone there for him!" Josh argued, glaring at his own father menacingly.

"Josh.. he can take care of himself-"

"Shut up!" Josh shouted, shoving his father to the side as he darted out into the rain, leaving the three speechless.

Danny quickly stood up, staring out into the cold world, "We're going after him, okay? We don't have any other choice."

"Danny...?" Joey murmured, slightly put off by his friend's sudden actions, "Are you sure about this?"

"It doesn't matter if he is or not," Johnny answered, eying the two boys, "We're going to go find Josh, and I have just the Pokemon who has his scent."

"That'll make things much easier..." Joey replied, giving off a sigh of relief.

"Right," Johnny said, clutching a single pokeball, "Go, Ninetales!"

He tossed the pokeball out into the rain, watching as the fox pokemon began to form, its several tails being brushed by the wind.

_Ninetales, the Fox Pokemon. Very smart and very vengeful. Grabbing one of its many tails could result in a 1,000 year curse. _

Ninetales is a fox-like Pokemon. Height-wise, it usually reaches up just a tad bit above a normal human's waist. Ninetales has a coat of cream-colored fur, with a brush of hair atop its forehead, which splits into several ends. It also has large, pointed ears. Ninetales' eyes are barely open, and are a bright pink-color. On the ends of its body are large tales, with each of them having a carmal tip on the end.

"She's really pretty!" Danny complimented, taken aback from the creature's mere presence as her tails brushed against the air.

"Danny, there's no time to gaze at her," Johnny responded as he bent down to his partner, rubbing her head gently, "Do you have anything in Josh's bag that we can use to track his scent?"

"Let's see," Joey murmured, ruffling his hands through his friend's duffel bag before pulling out a bottle of cologne.

"That'll do nicely!" Johnny claimed, snatching the bottle and wafting it towards Ninetales' nose, "C'mon Sunset.. "

Sunset sniffed as her nose rubbed against the bottle slightly before her ears perked up, her head turning to the north.

"We got it! Come on!"

"Ack!" Josh coughed into his fist, his eyes shutting tightly as he came to a sudden stop underneath a tree.

He rubbed his hands up his arms to keep warm, shivering as he walked away from the tree, his already drenched clothes being slathered with rain once more.

"D-damn it... so cold..." Josh whispered to himself before looking forward, seeing something atop a nearby hill.

Luckily, he was able to see a large wooden building not too far from him - it seemed to be only one floor high.

_Good enough for me, as long as it isn't locked... _Josh thought to himself as he approached the building, his feet aching badly as he managed to slump against the wooden door.

Weakly, he pushed against the door as he slumped against it further as he coughed into his shoulder.

"Oh, thank god.." he mumbled to himself as he turned the door knob, the door opening with a slight creak.

Josh squinted as his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, slowly shutting the door behind him as warm air rushed over his drenched and frozen body.

He slowly focused in on the room, looking both directions to see there were no other doors, much to his surprise.

_Is this only one enormous room? _Josh thought to himself as he turned, a slight gasp falling from his lips as he backed up.

The room had been crowded wall-to-wall with large metal containers, each of them having a few dozen slots - pokemon eggs inside them.

_This is not good.. _Josh gritted his teeth as he took a step forward, only to slip in-between the containers as someone passed by him.

The man had been wearing a torn leather jacket, as well as a white muscle shirt and a pair of ripped blue jeans, "... Did you lock that door, Jayden?" His rough voice asked.

"Yeah, boss! I swear!" The other claimed as he stared at his boss, the lights glaring off of his bald scalp.

"What did I tell you about starin'?" The boss questioned, glaring at the subordinate as he plucked a pokeball from a golden chain that hung around his neck.

"I'm not staring, though! I swear-"

"Quiet!" He shouted, his fingers pressing tightly against the black outline of the ball, "We're putting this place on lock-down, ya hear? So that means send out your damn Pokemon!"

"I.. okay, boss, I got it!" The lower classmen obeyed, a bright light shining from his own pokeball as his partner formed, and came out from the light.

_Magmar, the Spitfire Pokemon. Born in the spout of a volcano, its body is covered by flames that shimmer like the sun._

Magmar stands at about half the size of a normal human, and its skin is primarily yellow mixed with orange. Its feet are flat, and have two, sharp white toes extending out from each. It has a flame design on its torso, and has two large orange bumps on its forehead, which have two protruding yellow flame-like ruffles of hair on top of them. Its arms have ruffled hair/fur on them, and has five claws extending from each hand. On its back are four, large red spikes and has a long tail with a flame on the tip.

The boss only grinned as he stared at his servant's pokemon, "This duo will be sure to scare off anyone... they'll regret the day that they messed with the legendary crime boss - Archibald!" He cried, throwing out his pokemon as well.

_Electabuzz, the Electric Pokemon. It loves to feed on strong electricity. It occasionally appears around large power plants and so on._

Electabuzz stands around at half the size of a man, having a body that is majorly covered in black and yellow colors. Its body has several lightning-like markings on it, which so happen to be black. Its two flat feet have two claws extending from the front, and one at the back. It has a small, yellow tail with black bands around it. Electabuzz's ears stick out of its head, with two yellow balls on the end, like an antenna.

Josh winced in pain as the steel bars dug into his back, his waist aching as his foot slowly slid out from the crack he had been hiding in.

_Not a good time to be chubby.. crap.. _Josh thought to himself, pulling himself back into the crevice, rattling the surrouding metal cages.

Archibald lips curved into a twisted smirk, his eyes slowly inching towards the cages, "We have ourselves a rat! Let's get searchin', Jayden!"

Josh's heart jumped as he twisted around a cramped corner, his tailbone rattling the cage behind him.

"Ow, shit!" He blurted.

"I heard _that_!" Archibald claimed matter-of-factly, leading the way as his Electabuzz pushed the cages apart, its antenna following the sound.

_I got no damn choice.. I have to prepare for battle! _Josh thought as he plucked two pokeballs from his belt.

He tossed the two of them onto the marble floor, his Frogadier spinning out of the ball and spread his legs apart, making a fighting stance as his hand rose to his forehead, saluting his master.

"Pikaaaa!" The electric mouse cried happily, his arms spreading outward as he hung them around Josh's neck happily.

"Pikachu, now's not the time," Josh said shakily, "Prepare to battle, we might not make it out of here in one piece!"

"P-pika?" Pikachu frowned at the fear in his master's voice, but then nodded as he jumped from his neck, and next to Frogadier who had lowered his hand.

Josh and his partners made their way out from the cramped space as the cages spread apart, revealing the two that had been searching for him.

"A kid? Aw, c'mon, this'll be no fun at all!" Archibald whined in disappointment, "You have mighty-fine Pokemon, but I doubt you know how to use them properly.."

"I think you're underestimating your opponent," Josh protested, "I have two badges, and I'm heading to get my third. You're looking at the future champion, asshole!"

Archibald chuckled, "Two, huh? Oh no, we have such a tough guy over here!"

"Badges don't matter when it comes to criminals, kid," Jayden said as if to threaten him, "Aren't you afraid?"

"I've dealt with different criminals, and they were way more threatening than you," Josh replied, smiling now, "Why don't you just let me go?"

"Are you an idiot, kid?" Archibald questioned, folding his arms, "You'll just tell the cops what you've seen here. No way you're getting out of here!"

"I'm confident I can win, even with two against one." Josh said with a small smirk, his Frogadier standing tall and proud now.

"Froga!" He saluted his master once more as if to put emphasis on what he had said, glaring at the enemies.

"You better shut your trap," Archibald snapped in sudden anger, his fist clenched, "If you're so confident, then prove it! Electabuzz, use thunderpunch on his stupid frog!"

Electabuzz slid its foot forward before promptly throwing its sparking fist at the amphibian, only for Pikachu to slide his tiny hands onto its arm, his gut taking the would-be force of the fist.

"Pika!" The electric rodent cried, throwing himself over the enemy's fist, slapping it in the face with his tail.

"Good work, Pikachu! Frogadier, use water pulse while he's distracted!" Josh exclaimed, backing up slightly.

Frogadier ducked as he sprinted towards the electrical beast, pressing his palm over Electabuzz's abdomen.

"B-buzz?" Electabuzz stuttered in fear as it looked down, but it was all too late as the ball of water rippled off of its stomach, sending it flying into the metal cages, crashing a few into the warehouse walls.

"Damn it," Archibald grumbled, gritting his teeth, "Jayden, what the hell is wrong with you? Why aren't you helping me?!"

"S-sorry, sir," Jayden apologized, "Magmar, use fire punch!"

"Mar!" The fire-type beast roared as its fist suddenly burst into flames, throwing it at the tiny rodent's forehead.

"Frogadier, block it-" Josh would try to say, only for his amphibian pokemon to grab the fist and twist Magmar's arm around, "Oh.. use smack down!"

Frogadier set Magmar's arm free, allowing him to hop into the air as he brought his hands together, smashing the two of them onto the very top of its head.

"Mar!" Magmar screeched, its hands tugging at its head as it ran towards the door, unable to do so as its pokeball pulled it back inside.

"Why can't we hit you? Tell me!" Archibald demanded as he balled his hands up into fists, his left eye twitching slightly in frustration.

"You're not thinking," Josh stated, smirking calmly as he took a step forward in front of his partners, "You're done here. You attacked me without any thought of what you were gonna do."

"Oh, really? I don't know what I'm gonna do?" Archibald questioned, showing his teeth as he grinned wide.

"What are you doing...?" Josh asked curiously, slowly setting his foot back as the criminal stepped forward.

"Thunderpunch on the kid, Electabuzz!" Archibald had ordered, his partner inching closer and closer to Josh as its fist began to spark.

Before it could even reach him, the door had flown open, resulting in Electabuzz stopping suddenly.

"Josh!"

"Dad?" Josh asked aloud in hope, watching as his father stepped out from the doorway with his two friends, his Ninetales following from behind.

Archibald gritted his teeth once more as he turned to the older man, his pokemon imitating him. "You're this brat's father? You must have guts to come after this prick!"

"Shut up," Johnny stated as he stepped towards the criminal, breathing deeply as his fox pokemon followed suit, "You're under arrest."

"What? For what reason?" Archibald became pale, his eyes shifting from left to right.

"I knew something fishy had been going on in Duola Town, but I didn't expect to find it here," Josh's father continued, glancing at the containers which held dozens of pokemon eggs, "You've been stealing Pokemon eggs from the day care, as a supposed co-worker.. I wonder how someone as stupid as you could possibly pull that off.."

"Why you little shit! Electabuzz, use thunder punch!"

"Heh, flamethrower!" Johnny countered as Electabuzz lunged at the two, but came to a stop as Sunset jumped in front of her master, a torrent of flames eruptin from her throat as they skidded against the electric-type's skin, which had become charred from the burn.

Archibald grunted, sucking his pokemon back into its ball as he sprinted towards the victor, tossing his own fist at him.

'You're a damn fool!" Johnny cried, ducking below his fist, his own meeting Archibald's chin, promptly knocking him onto the hard ground as he turned to Jayden, "You're under arrest as well. Don't say a word..."

Danny and Joey could only look on in surprise that he had taken out the criminal single-handedly, without breaking a sweat.

"So.. what do we do now?" Danny asked the older man.

"You three go back to your tent, okay? I'll take care of these two," Johnny answered, his head tilting over to Josh who had been edging towards the door, "And, son?"

Josh sighed, rolling his eyes, "What, dad?"

"Get that third badge for your old man, alright?"

"Damn right!" Josh agreed excitedly.

Josh leaned against the tent as the sun broke through the darkened clouds, the rain slowly dissapating as it fell.

The front of the tent came unzipped, revealing it to be Danny who had been peeking out at his friend, "Hey, Josh, can we talk?"

"Oh, sure.."

Danny sighed with relief, leaning against the tent himself now, "About earlier, before you ran out of the tent all willy-nilly.. why do you think you need to be here for me?"

"You're vunerable, Danny, you always have been," Josh began, taking a look at his best friend, "You need someone to protect you-"

"I don't need protection any more, Josh," Danny interrupted, smiling warmly now, "I have three Pokemon, I can protect myself! I'm fourteen, I'm responsible for my own well-being, as you are to your own. Just enjoy traveling with me and Joey, okay?"

Josh twiddled his thumbs before giving off a defeated sigh, slapping his hand into Danny's firmly, "Right. I understand."

"Now, what do you say we get some rest before heading to Lunegra Forest?" Danny asked, slipping back into the front of the tent slowly.

"I'm comin'," Josh complied, following his best friend into the shelter, "You know what, though, Danny?"

"What's that?" His friend asked, quizzically.

"I'm the luckiest guy ever."


	15. Set My Heart Ablaze

Dark clouds parted above the mostly empty landscape, the slight drizzle slowly fading in the distance as the sun's rays broke through the sky.

Danny scanned the guidebook as he and his friends walked through the seemingly-endless field, pressing his finger onto one of the pages.

"We should be near Lunegra Forest, and once we get out, we'll almost be at Avangela Town! I love nature, but sleeping in tents gets so unpleasant..." Danny informed them, closing the guidebook inbetween his thumb.

"How long will it take to get out of there?" Josh asked, crossing his arms as he turned to his friend.

"I doubt he knows," Joey answered instead, "Lunegra forest is known for the tricks it plays on the mind. It's full of several twists and turns, and we could get easily separated."

Danny nodded, frowning slightly, "Yeah, he's right.. we have to keep our eyes wide open, since we can't stop the forest."

"I don't get it," Josh said in a displeased sigh, "Why does it cause illusions? Is that a doing of some Pokemon?"

"I would think so," Joey answered once again, turning from his friends to stare into the entrance of the forest, "It's full of dark and ghost-type Pokemon, so that's probably the reason behind it."

"Well, we might as well shoot to get out of there with no problems," Danny encouraged the two, plucking a pokeball from his belt, "If we get separated, I'll get Patience to find you guys."

"Well, that's a good plan, I guess," Josh nearly stuttered, his voice shaky as his hands began shaking as he curled them into fists, "Let's go.".

Danny tugged on Joey's sleeve, his eyes following the movement of the other trainer as he inched closer to the forest, "Did you.. hear his voice? He's scared.."

"We are too," Joey admitted, his face void of emotion, "Our hearts are pounding, and you didn't even notice it."

"What does that mean, Joey? We're gonna be okay, right?" Danny worriedly asked, twiddling his thumbs in nervosity.

"I won't lie to you, Danny," Joey said grimly, "It may take days for us to get out of that forest, but we have a plan. Just don't get too distracted, okay?"

"Hey!" Josh shouted, standing at the entrance of the forest, "Are you guys gonna hurry up, or what? I'm not gonna wait here forever."

"It's way too dark in here," Josh whispered, shuddering as he rubbed his shoulders, his skin growing cold, "We have a flashlight with us, right?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot!" Danny chimed, reaching into his back pocket, pointing the flashlight into the darkness, switching it on.

"At least we can actually see the ground now," Josh added, turning to Joey, who simply looked down at his feet, his eyes wide, "Hey, uh.. dude, are you okay?"

"Huh?" Joey's head quickly perked up, his vision somewhat cloudy, "Oh, uh, yeah. I kind of spaced out just now."

Danny gave his friend a concerning look before pointing the flashlight to their front, a singular path standing before them.

"Well," he said, stepping in front of his friends with a bright smile, "Let's get going, guys. It's only one path, but let's keep up with one another."

"Right," Josh and Joey replied simultaneously, each of them standing behind one another as they stepped into the straight path.

Danny waved the flashlight to and fro, checking his corners as distant howls caught him off his guard, causing him to shine the light into the mass of trees to his right, only to be met with darkness.

"Oh, wow! That sure scared me," Danny giggled nervously, turning to face his friends, "How about you guys?"

The color in his face drained, now a ghostly white, feeling his stomach sink as his heart began to race... his friends had disappeared from his sight.

"... Guys?"

Josh shuddered, a cool breeze flowing past his shoulder as he rubbed his shaking hands together for warmth, "K-knew this w-would happen.. but did they listen? N-no!"

He could hear the cries of Pokemon in the distance, adding to his already worsening dismay as he shuddered, flinching from his own fear as well.

"Hello? Are you okay, mister?" A tiny voice squeaked aloud, provoking Josh to turn around quickly, seeing a boy rush towards him.

When the boy reached him, he was only half of his own height, short blonde hair poking the edges of his ears.

He wore a white t-shirt, with a pair of basic blue jeans to match up with, but he hadn't been wearing shoes.

"Huh? Why are you in here?" Josh asked, bewildered at the sight of such a young child who had seemingly wandered in here, "Did some kids bully you into coming here?"

"No. I came looking for a friend!" The boy answered somewhat excitedly, hopping about as he squeezed his fingers into his palms.

"Oh.. well, I don't know if I can help with that. Only people I've seen here are my own friends.. who I can't seem to find." Josh replied, his eyes shifting.

"We can look for our friends, together!" The child tugged onto Josh's shirt, his emerald eyes shining brightly into his own.

_It's not like I can leave this kid here, all alone in this forest.. _Josh shivered, staring at the energetic child.

"My name's Kupo!" The boy announced loudly, pulling on the trainer's shirt, as if he had intended to rip it in two.

"Okay, calm down," Josh said, prying the kid from his clothes, "My name's Josh. Any idea where your friend went?"

"Nope!"

"Oh, well, shi-" Josh quickly caught himself, coughing into his fist, "Er, anyway. Let's get going, Kupo.."

"Sure, mister!" Kupo exclaimed, digging his fingers into Josh's pant-leg as they trudged further into the darkness.

The path before Joey twisted and turned, from left to right constantly as he attempted to feel along the trees, only to nearly trip from the lack of balance.

"Why can't I focus?" Joey quietly asked himself, his breath becoming heavy as his vision slowly clouded, feeling as if the incoming fog was intending to suffocate him.

Suddenly, a leg spread out from the bushes, striking at the poor boy's already weak knees, causing him to fall in pain.

Groaning, Joey's eyes tried to tell reality from the hallucinations, seeing faces in the approaching darkness, cringing as hands reached out for him, his wrists aching.

"Wh.. who the hell did that? You're gonna wish you didn't..." Joey grunted through his teeth, doing his best to keep his facade of security well known.

"Huh, guess you know how to take a hit, huh?" Whoever it was, it was mocking him as the boy's cheeks began to burn, his face growing hot.

"Shut it.. tell me who you are so I can kick your ass.." Joey grasped the cold ground, his eyes trying to focus on the man above him.

For some odd reason, he seemed familiar..

"Want to know the name of your destroyer? I don't blame you," he said in a slight giggle, spreading his legs apart as a black cape blew from his back, the breeze holding it up softly as it blew his white hair, "I am Dante, and I am an admin of Team Masquerade, under the command of Lady Meredith herself. I have come to destroy you mentally and physically."

Joey grimaced, trying to get a better look at the punk that brought him to the ground. He could see that the mask he wore was covered in black feathers, the eye slits resembling that of a bird – of a crow. The nose had an elongated beak, extending two feet from his own face.

His uniform was the same as the rest of the incompetent subordinates, aside from the fact that it had an absence of white, and was completely black.

"I don't get it," Joey started, his knees shaking as he hung his head low once he stood, "What do you want with us? We didn't do shit to you... you have no right.."

"Kid," Dante interrupted, "I'm not going to explain it to you. But, I can see that your energy is leaving your body.. your emotions are almost completely drained, and you want nothing but rest,"

"... So?"

"So," Dante said, spinning a pokeball atop his fingertip, "You're not getting away. No way I'd be able to take you on with your friends, so this is my chance to please Meredith! Go, Dusclops!"

_Dusclops, the beckon Pokemon. Anyone who dares peer into its body to see its spectral ball of fire will have their spirit stolen away._

This ghostly apparition's body is purely gray, having a singular red eye in the middle of its head, as well as three teeth-like protrusions from below. Its hands rest at its stomach, its body being somewhat pudgy. It has three wisps of gray cloth coming from each of its sides, and one from the top of its head.

"Why can't you just let me be?" Joey growled through his teeth, irritated that the bastard could see he was in danger, but decided to take him down further anyway.

"Are you deaf? I'm not going to explain it to you, and you're in no condition to make demands," Dante repeated, his cocky grin turning into a displeased frown, "Now send out your Pokemon or submit. It's as easy as that."

"Go to hell!" Joey cried out, his aching hands tossing a pokeball towards the ground, his praying mantis Pokemon brandishing its scythe-like arms as it glared towards the ghost and its master.

"A Scyther, huh? Menacing, that's for sure, but will it be enough?" Dante taunted, his unsettling grin returning to his face.

"Shut your mouth..." Joey choked out, the cold air doing its best to drag his body down, "I can do it."

"Stop wasting your breath," Dante scowled, frowning once again, "Now make a move before I crush you under my foot."

Joey's heart thumped in his chest rapidly, resulting in him clutching his shirt tightly, his fingers turning a bright shade of red from the sheer force.

"Scyther, night slash on the freak!" Joey cried, his Scyther's wings spreading out as he flung himself toward the ghost Pokemon, bringing its two blades together before unveiling them across its gut. 

"You know what to do, Dusclops. Ice punch on the overgrown insect!" Dante snarled, ice surrounding the Dusclops' fist, attempting to plant its knuckles on the bug Pokemon's chin.

Scyther's blades acted swiftly, blocking the path that the apparition's fist had attempted to take, allowing the praying mantis Pokemon to dig his sword's edges into the frozen fists, breaking the ice into tiny fragments.

"Get the attack off now, Scyther!" Joey cried out, slowly shutting out the shadows that were trying their damnedest to suffocate him.

"Scytha!" The insect screeched, raking its scythe-like arms across the ghost's abdomen, pushing it back towards the masked man.

"Dus... !" Dusclops' singular eye blinked in surprise, digging its feet into the ground to stop itself from sliding into its master.

"Get back in there, Dusclops! Thunder punch this time!" Dante reacted quickly, his loyal servant rushing towards the insect once more, electricity coursing through its knuckles.

"Try to do the same thing as last time! Night slash!" Joey snapped, Scyther's wings spreading apart once more, his dual blades aiming to cease the fist's course of action.

Scyther's arms had clashed with the fist, only for the electricity to race through the insect's arms, smoke rising up as it ran through the Pokemon's body.

"Scyther! You can come back if you want to!"

The insect grunted defiantly at Joey, jumping from the ground as it brandished its scythe-like arms, thrashing them upon Dusclops' gut.

"Clops!" The spirit Pokemon wailed aloud, toppling over to the ground as its singular eye shut slowly, at rest with the dirt below it.

"That was certainly shocking," Dante said as the red beam of light seeping through his pokeball sucked up Dusclops, "I didn't expect you to do so well in your condition."

"If there's one things you freaks should know, it's to not underestimate your opponent," Joey chuckled, his mind suddenly reeling back, "... And a group of cowards, too."

"What makes us cowards? I fail to see what you mean."

"You know what I mean," Joey gritted his teeth, his eyes shifting away from Scyther and to Dante, "When we first met Team Masquerade in Starburg, we met a kid named Richard.. he had no control over his mind, and he claimed to hate working with you bastards. He kept going on and on about how this Meredith is so holy, and how she'll bring the stars to this planet. You take children and teenagers, using them as a part of your deranged army. You can't tell me you're not a coward!"

Dante merely chuckled softly, spreading his hands apart as if it were no big deal, "It's for Lady Meredith. She needs all the help she can get! Why wouldn't we help someone so beautiful, so amazing? You don't understand!"

Dante's smile suddenly transformed into a menacing frown, glaring at the young trainer as he rolled a pokeball into his hand.

"I guess it's time for me to knock some damn sense into your empty head. Scyther, return," Joey murmured, his pokeball sending the praying mantis back into its depths, after doing so, he pulled out a second pokeball, tossing it at the forest floor, "Fennekin, I choose you!"

Out of the bright light came Joey's starter, the tiny fox looked around, eventually staring at its trainer, "Fen?"

"Scyther's too weak to battle right now, so you're up," Joey said to the fire fox, "Think you're up for the challenge?"

"Fennekin!" The tiny fox Pokemon cheered enthusiastically, spreading its four legs out as embers blew outward from its throat.

"This is all you have to offer me? This will be over in no time," Dante reeled back, tossing the ball onto the earth as well, "Honchkrow, destroy this pest!"

_Honchkrow, the Big Boss Pokemon. It is merciless by nature. It is said that it never forgives the mistakes of its Murkrow followers._

Honchkrow is majorly covered in dark blue feathers, the inside of its wings having red feathers. On its chest is a patch of white feathers, reaching around its neck as if it's wearing a vest. It has a white circle around its eyes, displaying it as a monocle. It has an average sized yellow beak, and the top of its head resembles that of a fedora, being dark blue as well. Its skinny feet being pure black, with white talons.

"Here we go, Fennekin!"

Danny could hear a crowd roaring right into his eardrums, despite the absence of people, a look of nervousness on his face.

"Keep it together, Daniel," he whispered to himself, "Josh and Joey are around here somewhere.. I know they are.."

Among the roar of the crowd, he swore he could hear a familiar voice but he couldn't quite make it out, causing him to sigh, defeated.

"Who is it?!" Danny screamed into the forest, ready to give up and fall asleep – if it weren't for the fact that he heard someone yell back for him.

Josh's frown from earlier had brightened, turning into a warm smile as he turned towards the child, "Hey, come on! That's my friend!"

"Nooo..." Kupo whined, holding onto the older male's arm, "I don't know him.. I want my mommyyyy..."

"Come on, kid," Josh egged him on, nearly dragging him as he approached the voice, "Danny, I'm coming! I'm here!"

As tears welled up in his eyes, Kupo pushed Josh carelessly as he freed the trainer's arm, running off into the dark forest.

"KUPO!" Josh shouted, only to watch Kupo fade into the shadows, "The hell?"

"Josh!" Danny latched onto his friends, strongly gripping his shoulder, "I'm so glad I found you! Have you found Joey, yet?"

"No," Josh said darkly, sighing, "Hey, did you happen to run into a little kid or anything? He was looking for his parents, I was just talking to him.."

"The heck are you talkin' about?" Danny asked, dumbfounded as he looked behind his friend, "I didn't hear a word.. it was probably just the forest, remember?"

"Oh. Right.." Josh trailed off, staring into the very same shadow that the boy had run into, "... Let's get going, then."

Fennekin bit the inside of its mouth as it hit the ground, whining to itself as it looked up at the crow pokemon, struggling to pick itself up.

"This is the end of you, you pathetic child," Dante giggled this time around, overcome with joy, "Her majesty will surely let me reign this world by her side!"

"Fennekin, come on..." Joey grunted, nudging the tiny fox pokemon as the crow pokemon spread its intimidating dark blue wings, ready for orders.

"Aerial ace!" Honchkrow responded instantly, its wings now spread thin as it nose dived toward the helpless fire fox.

Fennekin suddenly hopped on all fours, its body beginning to glow white as Joey tried to move it to cover, but that certainly wasn't going to happen.

It began to shape, the white light fading as it revealed its new form, staring at Dante and his Honchkrow confidently.

"This is what happened to Rey," Dante nearly stuttered, taking steps back in awe, "I.. no, this can't be happening! I'll win whether you evolve or not!"

_Braixen, the Fox Pokemon. It has a twig stuck in its tail. With friction from its tail fure, it sets the twig on fire and launches into battle._

Unlike its predecessor, Braixen stands on two feet this time around, both of which are black to the waist up, where the yellow fur beins, leadng all th way up to its neck, where a crest of white fur hovers over its abdomen, part of its face being a white color, the forehead and ears being a bright yellow. Out from its ears are two puffs of red fur, resembling flames. Braixen has two dark red eyes, the same color as the tip of its nose. Lastly, it has a poofy yellow tail, containing a large stick (the end of its poofy tail is also a dash of red as well).

"Awesome," Joey couldn't help but laugh aloud, watching as Braixen pulled the stick from its bushy tail, spinning it in circles as flames erupted from the tip, encircling the incoming crow.

Flames hugged the feathers of the bird, sending it rolling back to its owner, extinguishing once it began to flap its wings.

Parts of the elegant Honchkrow's wings were noticeably charred, much to its anger as it released an enraged 'CAW!', nose-diving towards the mage.

"You know what to do, Braixen!" Joey encouraged his Pokemon from afar, watching as it spun its wand behind its own tail, flames sending it towards the enemy.

"Head first? You're an idiot! Honchkrow, strike it down with all your might!" Dante shouted in desperation, watching as his crow pokemon opened his beak wide.

Braixen suddenly pointed its wand toward the ground, an enormous burst of fire rocketing the fox mage into the air.

"Honch?!" The bird cried, the inferno left behind trapping it as Braixen came back down, its shoulder aimed toward the bird pokemon's skull.

"Finish it with flame charge!" Joey smiled, laughing in pure joy as Braixen itself was engulfed in flames, smacking its entirety into Honchkrow, sending the ablaze pokemon into the cold, hard earth.

Dante's lips quivered as if he were going to cry, his hand shaking as the pokeball recalled Honchkrow back into it, staring at the young trainer, "Uh.. forgiveness?"

"Get out before I set _you _on fire."

Danny and Josh could feel a warm breeze pass by them as they stepped on the last remaining branches as they made their final steps from the forest, the two of them covered in dirt and sweat.

Sunlight bathed their skin as they crashed onto the hill below them, sighing and yawning as they stared into the bright blue sky.

"Waiting for me?"

The two looked above them to see Joey smiling down on them, slithering in-between the two as he took a deep yawn.

"What took you so long, asshat?" Josh asked playfully, punching his friend's arm half-heartedly as he shrugged, his body aching.

"Eh, I'll tell ya later.. let's just rest.."

"Yeah.. good idea.." Danny replied, his eyelids falling heavily as his head turned to the left, falling asleep as fast as a wink.

"... Niiight.."


	16. Rise From The Ashes

Josh couldn't help but smile excitedly, his eyes shut in pure joy as he kicked his feet on the dirt road, his two friends following right by his side.

"What are you so giddy about, Josh?" Danny asked with a warm smile, genuinely intrigued by his friend's behavior.

"You mean," Joey started, his hands in his pockets as he leaned a bit, looking at the youngest of them, "You don't know? Avangela Town is up ahead, so Josh is excited to get his third badge.. not a big surprise."

"He's right!" Josh clasped his hands together, filled to the brim with nothing but happiness on his giddy face, "Ah man, it just feels so right to be able to do this! It's only been over a month, and I have two badges already!"

Danny couldn't help but chuckle, his head peeking up above the hill slightly, seeing that the road led to a change of gravel instead of dirt, which led to a steel billboard that had its place above an open city gate.

"Thank Arceus, my feet are killing me..." Joey grumbled, dragging his feet downward, making their way down the hill as the writing on the sign became legible.

Encrypted within the steel was this: "Avangela Town, the town of falling ash."

As the trio rose each of their heads, they could spot something in the distance, a red glow reflecting off it.

"Is that a volcano?!" Josh gasped, obviously shocked as his jaw dropped; he had only seen these things in documentaries, "It's.. enormous!"

Danny quickly gave a sigh of relief, signaling that he was reading the guide book once again, "It's dormant, meaning that there's no chance of it erupting."

"Sure makes for some interesting scenery," Joey commented, rolling his eyes as he took a quick look at the roads, which were clearly made of gravel, "Well, remind me to never take my shoes off around here.."

Ignoring his comment, Danny flipped the guidebook open once again as his eyes roamed the pages, "I want to see if there are some local hotspots! There's more to this town than just a gym, y'know!" his eyes narrowed toward Josh.

"Oh, come on! This place might be just as boring as Grania was!" Josh argued, shaking his fist toward his friend..

"You're not the only one on this journey," Joey interjected, his arms crossed as he stared his friend down, "I really want to look around the town; ease up, man."

Sighing, the look of impatience only intensified within the boy's eyes, "Fine. But when we're done, we're going to the gym, and then out of here, alright?"

"Well, yeah, but," Danny frowned, shutting the guide book, "We need to learn to enjoy this time we have together. Can you do that for me, Josh?"

His expression softened into a smile, then gave his friend a simple nod, "Yeah. I guess so.. anyway, let's get on with this. We don't have all day."

A structure built from stone stood in the way of the sun, shielding the trio's eyes from the blinding light as they studied the building.

"The guide book says this is a museum, but has a gift shop inside too.." Danny's voice was nearly muffled, as his face was nearly stuffed into the book between his hand, "Wanna head in?"

"Might as well-"

"Oh! Oh oh oh!" A bright, cheerful high-pitched voice cheered from up ahead, a sound of two heels clacking down the stairs from the museum, "Are you visitors?"

All three of them studied the woman who stood in front of them, her hair tied into a blonde bob, black mascara on her eyelashes, just above her bright green eyes.

She wore a fluffy white blouse with a black skirt covering most of her lower body, accompanied by black dress shoes. "I'll be your guide for today! You may call me Suzie!"

"Oh, yes! We've only just arrived." Danny suddenly answered, "We were hoping to go sight-seeing. Is this a good place to start?"

"Dresses pretty snazzy for a guide.." Josh mumbled, audible enough to the point where Joey dug his elbow into his friend's side, making him wince slightly.

Suzie stifled a light giggle, waving her hand towards the entrance. "You've come to the right place! Come along, I just know you'll love what we have in store for you!"

Leading them up the stairs, she pushed the door open and stood to the side as the three stepped inside the lobby.

The walls that surrounded them was a barrage of dark and bright colors, a sea of black dots coming down onto the artwork, as if to resemble ashes.

Behind them had been a wave of light orange, resembling the end of the day, though the sun had been hiding behind the mound of enormous rock.

The volcano looked as if it could come to life any second, the orange paint serving as lava as it slid down the cracks of the awakened giant.

"Holy.. this is amazing!" Joey stated with shock, his mouth nearly agape as he approached the wall to get a better look, "Whoever painted this is really talented. They gotta be professional.."

"Never knew you were interested in painting," Josh said, genuinely surprised as he stepped toward the mural as well, "It does look really nice.."

"I'm not," Joey replied, his eyes shifting over to his friend, "I just have an appreciation for art, that's all."

"Oh, do you like it? Our very own gym leader created that piece," the guide interjected, "Ashley's father passed the talent down to her. Her gym is even more amazing! Some say she even got her talent for battling from her father as well. I think he was a leader in Unova."

Josh felt as if his blood had been bubbling in his veins when he heard that, his thirst for battling once again rising to the surface, "... Gym.. soon."

"Is.. is your friend alright?" Suzie asked worriedly, nervously scratching at her cheek as the boy bit down on his own lip in hesitation.

"He's really excited, that's all.. make sure not to mention anything about Pokemon gyms around him, heh.." Danny assured her, chuckling with slight nervosity.

"Heh," she giggled as well, her side brushing the wall as she made her way to a desk, standing at the side, "Hey, I have some trainers here who want to look around. I'm bringing them up front!"

Behind the counter was a well-dressed man who seemed to be the woman's counterpart if anything, but they could only see his top half. He had been wearing a black and white tuxedo with a dark necktie hanging from his collar.

"Alright, that'll be..." the male trailed off as his eyes left his paperwork, widening as he stared at the youngest of the trio, "... Are.. are you Rollout Danny?"

Danny's head turned from left to right in confusion, as if he was looking for someone else. "Wait, me? Rollout what?" He placed his finger upon his own chest, pointing at himself.

"You mean you don't know? That trick you pulled off at the Pokelympics was amazing! You've earned quite a reputation, although not huge! I'm a huge fan!" The receptionist's face suddenly brightened, nearly jumping out of his seat.

"O-oh! I.. I didn't know that.. heheh.." Danny chuckled awkwardly as drops of sweat rolled down the sides of his head, "I.. just took the opportunity when I saw it is all."

"Still, that was so amazing," the receptionist defended, literally shaking with excitement, "You know what? You can go right through! It's on me."

"Wow, thanks! I won't forget this!" Danny's expression lit up as he smiled warmly towards the man, turning back to his friends and the guide.

"That sure was something.. shall we get on with the tour?" Suzie questioned, receiving a nod from the youngest.

"Actually," Josh interrupted, "I'm gonna look around by myself. Wanna come with, Joey?"

Joey turned to the other when he asked, a bit concerned, "Are you gonna be okay with us splitting up, Danny?"

"Uh, yeah," Danny nodded, a part in appreciation and another in approval, "Have fun, guys! I'll catch up with you later."

"So, why did you suggest that we should split up? I _know _you're not in love with this place.." Joey said with a sneaking suspicion in his voice.

Josh smirked, lifting his hands up from his hips, raising them in the air, "Fine, you caught me. I need your input.. what strategy do you think would work for the gym? What type do you think it could be? I'm _dying _to fight this girl, but you know how Danny is with the constant battling.."

"You know how I am, too," Joey said with a sigh, pressing his back against the wall, "But, whatever. There's no sense in trying to talk sense into you.. this town has a volcano, so I'm pretty sure she's either a rock type leader or a fire type leader. I'd go with fire, if anything. I can't help with strategy, but Frogadier should help you get an easy win."

Josh gave a glad sigh, looking away from him for just a second, "Well, it means a lot. At least you can unde-"

"What are you two guys doing back here, all alone?" An unfamiliar voice asked, a forceful hand being placed upon the rookie trainer's shoulder as it shook him, "You two boys better not get sneaky back here."

When the two turned to look at whoever it could be, they had been looking at a girl not much older than they were.

Long, almost angelic-looking, blonde hair ran all the way down to her hips yet was as straight and clean as could be.

Her eyes seemed void of any life, but her outfit seemed to be pretty normal. She dressed like they would have on any lazy day.

She had been wearing a stretched out t-shirt that nearly covered her hands, and a pair of blue jeans with holes ripped near the knees.

_She looks like.. no, I'm overreacting. _Josh thinks to himself, mentally shaking his head as he stares at the girl.

"Why are you back here? And who are you, exactly?" Joey questioned, curious yet put off at the sudden girl's sudden appearance.

"I'm here because I'm interested in the artwork, duh," the odd girl sighed, acting as if she were defeated, "Have mercy, Mi'lord! I'm so sorry for trespassing into your territory!"

"Hey, that's not funny, you little..." Joey bit his tongue, his anger nearly breaking through, "... What's your name?"

"My name's Grace! Who are you two creeps?" She asked rudely, her two hands joined together as she tilted her head towards the two cutely.

"I'm Joey, you frickin' pest.." Joey clenched his fists, but he didn't know if it was from embarassment or anger.

_Calm down, man. It's only a coincidence. She may look similar, and her name might be the same.. but it's NOT her. She's not my friend. She's gone. _Josh took a breath of fresh air, his hand resting on his chest.

"Hello? Earth to the creepy guy?" Grace wondered aloud before smirking, pressing two of her fingers to his side.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?!" Josh cried in annoyance, jumping back from the girl as if she were a disease.

"For not answering me," Grace replied, her lips curving to make a soft smile, "Now, what's your name?"

"Josh. It's Josh.." he sighed, backing up towards his friend now, "Geez, you're annoying.. cute, but annoying."

"Oh? Is that right?" Grace grinned, poking his chest forcefully as she walked towards the two, "I'm going to be here until after tomorrow's festival. I want a battle with you, then, Josh. You're interesting.. too bad you're gonna lose!"

"I'm going to lose? You're going to know how the ground tastes when I'm done with you!" Josh threatened, only to watch her skip away nonchalantly.

"What the hell was that about? What an annoying bitch..." Joey grumbled, crossing his arm in irritation, ".. Let's get back to Danny. I don't want to stick around here.."

"Yeah." Josh simply said, his face turning pale as he slowly walked along with his friend, his hand brushing the wall.

"Are you okay, dude? You look like you've seen a ghost." Joey put a hand on his buddy's shoulder, frowning in worry.

Josh sighed, slipping both of his hands into his pockets as he stared at the floor, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"Oh, you have no idea."


	17. Sleepless

"What's this a painting of, Suzie?"

"Show me, please."

Danny stepped over to the right, pointing at the work of art that took up the entirety of that wall, which would amaze any newcomer.

It displayed a clear night sky, with stars twinkling above what seemed to be a palace of some kind. On the right, left, and the middle were three crimson red pillars that extended far into the dark night, each being connected to the rest of the colossal building.

Between each pillar seemed to be a resting place of sorts, with some lights lit and some shut off so the residents could get some shut-eye. The in-between buildings were painted gold.

The doors, however, were pure black. Maybe it meant to intimidate, but the boy had no idea if that was really it or not.

"It's beautiful," Danny admired in awe, "What is this? Is this from a storybook or is it an actual place, Suzie?"

"That's a painting of the Pokemon League," Suzie answered, a tiny, sweet smile emerging, "A lot of people are taken off guard by this one's beauty. A man named Burgh, who is also Ashley's father, created this one."

"Wow," Danny would touch it if he could, resting his hand on the air just mere centimeters away from the painting, "I expected that it'd look amazing, but.. this is on a whole new level!"

"Don't be put too off guard," Suzie giggled, putting her hand on the young boy's shoulder, "This was painted five years ago. There have been many changes made.. this is just the most recent piece of artwork."

Danny turned around to see his friends step out from the hallway on the other side of the room, but something gave an off an odd air.

_I can't put my finger on it.. _Danny thought to himself, studying their expressions as the two of them came closer and closer.

"Something unexpected happened," Joey started, a slight hint of irritation in his voice, "Some chick named Grace challenged Josh to a battle."

"It's tomorrow," Josh continued for him, staring down at the blank, white tiles, "During the festival. I don't know what it's for, but I think this is going to be really tough.."

"Josh," Danny gulped, inching over to his best friend, "Are.. are you okay? You look really pale. Besides, why are you so down all of a sudden? It's not like she's the champion!"

"I know," Josh responded, his voice shaking, "I know. I'm not confident that I can beat her, but that doesn't mean I won't try my best.."

Joey gave him a simple smirk, "Well, it _is _good to see you've run out of blind optimism. Trust your instincts in this battle. There's no way you can possibly prepare, either.. just be careful."

"Right," Josh replied, squeezing his hands together as he gave off a tired sigh, "I think I'm going to get some rest. I'm feeling sick to my stomach." 

"Oh, uh, see you then. Rest easy!" Danny smiled caringly, waving him off as he staggered out of the room, "... Do you know what's wrong with him?"

"Well, there was that really weird girl that kept pestering him," Joey said, though a bit quizzical as he put a finger on his chin, "I don't know why it's such a big deal.."

"Either way, I'm staying by his side." Danny said, crossing his arms as he gave a confident smile, "Josh is going to beat her, no doubt in my mind."

This forced a frown from Joey, who then shook his head, "He's been way too over-confident, lately.. he feels like he's met his match. We'll just have to see."

"He's going to win," Danny's smile suddenly faded, "If you don't believe in him, that's your problem. But he WILL beat her!"

Joey sighed in defeat, "I'm not going to try any more.. if you think he will, go for it.. I'm going to go and look around the town."

"I'll go to the Pokemon Center and take a nap. Tomorrow's gonna be a big day!" Danny cheerfully marched away, his friend following close behind.

The young trainer's tired eyes shifted left to right crazily as he tried to focus on a straight path, yawning into his hand as he suddenly stopped in his tracks, seeing someone half his size standing before him.

"H.. hello? S-sorry, I'm not feeling so well.." Josh's head throbbed incessantly, his shaking hand shielding his eyes from the burning sun.

"Mister, it's me! Don't you remember? Kupo!" Looking down, he had suddenly recalled the child, wearing the same clothes as before. Still barefoot.. same messy blonde hair.

"O-oh, hey there, little buddy," Josh said, visibly surprised as he struggled to pry his eyelids open, "What are you doing here?"

"I found my way back to mommy," Kupo's head tilted innocently, staring up at the trainer with great curiosity in his eyes, "She was really mad.. I ran from the house.. even though she told me to stay put."

"You should do what your parents say," Josh replied, baring his teeth in hidden anguish as he stumbled forward, feeling as if his heart was trying to dig its way out from his insides, "Ah, s-shit.. look, Kupo.. I need to get some sleep.. I'm not feeling so hot. Go back to your mom."

Kupo pouted like a puppy, kicking his feet into the pavement, "... Fine. See you later, mister.." with that, he had glued his gaze to the ground, sulking away.

"Uh, Josh?"

The rookie trainer turned to the right, seeing his friend Danny approach him with a rather confused look.

"Oh, h-hi, Danny." Josh muttered, trying to focus his gaze onto his friend, but to no avail as another yawn clawed its way out from his lungs.

"Who were you just talking to.." Danny slowly trailed off in his uncertainty, dashing over and putting his friend's arm over his shoulder, "... Okay, that doesn't matter right now. Come on, let's get you to a bed.."

Josh incoherently grumbled below his breath, his fingers weakly grasping his best friend's shoulder as they trudged through the empty sidewalks of Avangela.

"Come on, we're almost to the bed.." Danny encouraged, sliding the door open to the Pokemon Center's spare bedroom.

The light flickered on, revealing that four beds had been spread across the room, which proved to be rather convenient.

Instead of being eased onto the bed, Josh had detached himself from his friend's support, sinking to the closest cushion he could reach.

His limbs stretched out weakly, his hands slipping under the pillow as he buried his pale face into the sheets, the mumbling coming to a stop.

Danny smiled warmly toward him as the light flipped off, his finger on the switch as he opened the door for the second time.

"Sleep well, buddy."

"Wha... whazzat.. what!" Josh shouted abruptly, his face drenched in a fearful sweat as he surveyed the surrounding room, nearly jumping out of the bed. "Oh.."

His breath fell short as he calmed down, seeing something in the corner of his eye, prompting him to turn around.

"You sleep like a bear," Joey smirked as he said so, crossing his arms as he stepped towards the yawning boy, "How are you feeling now?"

"Oh, like I could take on the world." Josh said sarcastically with a roll of his eyes, lifting himself off the corner of the bed.

Joey ignored him, flipping the light switch as he walked towards the door, "It's Friday, and the festival begins in three hours. Are you going to keep your promise?"

Josh's sarcastic demeanor was suddenly thrown out the window, his tired expression had quickly changed to an unconfident frown.

"I'm not going to be a coward, if that's what you think," he said with an exasperated sigh, "Do you think I'm some prick who's unfaithful to his word?"

"I never said that," Joey countered, his arms now resting at his sides, "I just wanted to know. You looked like a damn ghost when she challenged you."

"Yeah, well," Josh's stare narrowed towards the white-tile floor, "It's none of your business, okay? I'm not going to lose it this time."

"I sure hope you don't," Joey replied, a hint of concern hidden in his curious voice, "Learning from your mistakes is what it takes to get better."

Josh's look sharpened as he glared at his friend as if he was antagonizing him, "It wasn't my damn mistake. It was Professor Maple's frickin' fault, got it?" He snapped.

"Calm down. You know what happened last time." Joey said assertively, staring sharply at the boy, mainly because of the sudden aggression.

"... Right." Josh nodded, taking his time to breathe in and out as he slowly came to a stance, "I'm going to head out. Maybe see if Danny is around. How about you?"

"I'm going to gather supplies," Joey responded, his lips curving upward, "We're going to sleep in tents from now on in the wild, not just sleeping bags. I'm sick of thinking I'm going to get mauled by an Ursaring or something."

"... Yeah. The thought of that is scary as hell." Josh stared at the floor blankly once again, before quickly shaking his head, "I'm going now. See you."

"See ya."

"Danny, please sign my little Chespin's pokeball!"

"Hey, Rollout Danny, take a selfie with me! I want to show it off to _all _my friends!"

"H-hey, calm down, uh.."

Danny shook with nervousness as hordes of boys and girls crowded him, begging and screaming for some form of autograph or recognition from their 'hero'.

"O-one at a time, p-please...!" Danny stuttered to the point where it could be considered incoherent, seeing as he was being bombarded with pleads.

"Uh, Danny, are you okay?"

Danny took a turn in desperation, staring at his friend in relief as the surrounding crowd silenced when the question had been asked.

"Oh, Josh, I'm so glad you're here! You have _no idea _what today's been like." Danny stood up, his knees wiggling as he took a step towards his friend.

The fans mumbled to one another, saying things among the lines of: "Who the heck is this punk?" "He doesn't have the right to talk to him so casually!"

"Ignore them," Josh glared at the crowd, grasping his friend's shoulder tightly in thanks, "You helped me out, so it's the least I can do."

"Right," Danny nodded, smiling warmly, "It's what friends are for.. want to go head to the festival? It should be starting any time."

"Yeah. Let's get this over with." Josh said, the two promptly walking away from the now quietly furious crowd.

A bell chimed above the streets of Avangela, which were now quickly being filled on each side, families making their way towards town square.

Danny flipped through the guidebook for guidance, his thumb keeping the pages from turning on their own.

"It says here," he slid his finger onto the page, "That during the annual festival the townsfolk thank a legendary pokemon named Heatran for keeping the volcano dormant. It's an iron golem of some sort that absorbs the energy inside of it."

"Well, I guess if it weren't for that Pokemon then we'd all be buried under ten feet of ash." Josh simply smirked, gazing towards the town square, "Wonder why it bothers."

"Well, the guide doesn't have all the answers," Danny shut it between his fingers, "Let's go ahead and find that girl. What was her name?" 

"My name is Grace, for your information!"

The two turned to see the girl dressed in formal attire. She had been wearing a red dress with orange tints at the bottom, as if to represent flames. The dress extended all the way down to her feet, which had been covered by black high-heels.

She gave an innocent smile to the both of them, a pokeball swinging from her silver necklace that hung around her throat.

"You surprised I didn't back out?" Josh asked, rolling a pokeball into his hands, tilting his arm back just slightly.

"Honestly? Maybe a liiiittle!" Grace unhooked the pokeball from her necklace, giving a sweet grin to the boy, "Let's skip the formalities, though, okay? I came here to kick your ass!"

Josh could feel the blood in his veins bubble with excitement, but with just a shred of doubt as he gave a reluctant grin.

_I've never had this feeling before a battle.. maybe against a gym leader, but it's never been so strong. This is going to be good.._

"Go, Frogadier!" Josh called his partner forth, watching as the faithful frog spun out from its ball, holding its hand against its forehead, saluting its master.

"Froga!" The warrior frog's eyes focused on the enemy, lowering its hand as it awaited the release of the other contender with baited breath.

"Pignite, I choose you!" Grace cried, tossing her pokeball onto the solid concrete, the light from the ball slowly forming the enemy.

_Pignite, the Fire Pig Pokemon. When its internal fire flares up, its movements grow sharper and faster. When in trouble, it emits smoke._

Pignite is a pudgy pig-like Pokemon, its skin primarily being composed of a bright orange color, spreading throughout its head, arms, and stubby legs. On its hands, it has two black glove-like paws with a golden ring at the very beginning of them, two white 'claws' extending out of the paws. Its feet each have a tiny white nail. On each side of its chest are two golden swirls, shaped like S's. Though, the left side is inverted. It has brown fur going throughout its torso, passing through its arms and onto its back. It has a short puffy tail, which resembles smoke.

"Frogadier, hit that pig with a quick attack, then try to pull off a fast water pulse!" Josh shouted, pointing his finger towards the chubby pig.

Nodding, Frogadier dashed forward, a look of confusion spreading onto its and the trainer's face. Pignite hadn't even made a move.

"Sucker punch."

Suddenly, Pignite side-stepped the attack and firmly planted its fist to the side of the frog's head, sending it flying toward the pavement.

"That's nothing! Frogadier, stop your fall with water pulse!" Frogadier's master commanded at the very last second.

Frogadier formed the ball in its hand, only to throw it towards the ground; the output of water sent it flying into the air, allowing it to land on both feet without injury.

"Smack down!"

A lump formed in the frog's throat before it quickly spat it up – a rock flew out from its mouth, speeding towards the fire pig.

"Aw, come on! This is too easy.. brick break, Pignite!" Grace shrugged as she pointed, the pig brandishing its fists as if they were weapons.

"Water pulse."

Pignite smashed its fist into the rock, expecting for it to crumble on impact, but came face to face with a ball of pulsating water.

"PIG!" Pignite cried in pain, grasping its face in utter shock and humiliation, its tiny fangs now noticeable as it growled.

"Pignite, hit that frog with a take down! You can finish it off in one hit!" Grace encouraged her partner, watching it kick up dirt in rage.

With just another growl, the pig took off as flames erupted from its snout, its eyes wide with full expectance to knock the Frogadier into the sky.

"Use water pulse, full force! We have to take this thing out _now_!" Josh demanded, his Frogadier quickly leaping backwards, cupping its hands in preparation.

"Froga.." it whispered to itself, the pulsating ball of water growing larger than usual, nearly sinking out from its grasp.

Pignite closed the gap, the entire force of its body being thrown onto the agile amphibian, digging its shoulder into Frogadier's neck.

"Release it now!" Josh cried out in desperation, biting his lip nervously as the sphere of water splashed against the vicious boar.

Both of the pokemon gave a cry of anguish simultaneously, the two of them panting as they tried to intimidate one another, staring down the other but to no avail.

Both of them fell flat on their backs, the red lights from each opposing side sucking them back up into the Pokeball.

"I've never had a tie before.." Grace tapped her finger against her lips delicately, humming quietly, "That was really good, Josh."

"Y-yeah," Josh panted, surprised at how this girl didn't appear to be tuckered out one bit, "I don't think I've ever been in a battle that intense."

"I guess you might be ready, then," Grace grinned, walking towards the boy with care, "I already have the badge from this town. You're totally ready to face Ashley! But.. that might have to wait till tomorrow, seeing as how the festival is going on."

"Well, thanks for the encouragement anyway," Josh slid his pokeball back into his pocket, "I'll see you later. I'm going to grab a bite to eat, want to come, Danny?"

"Yeah, I'm coming.." Danny said quietly, his eyes still wide as if he were still watching the battle unfold.

"Hey, who said I was leaving?" Grace interrupted, sliding her hand onto both of the boy's shoulders, "I'mma watch you battle Ashley! It's not as boring as what I originally planned."

Josh sighed in defeat, looking at the girl carefully, closely. Something seemed terribly off.. was it her eyes? Her amount of energy that never seemed to end? Maybe it was nothing.

Just maybe.


	18. Burn

"The sun's setting _already_? So many people are still out, though.."

Grace's surprise rang out across the wooden table, leaving the boy across from her to ponder the same thing.

Josh shrugged, burying his fist into his cheek to prop his head up, "This festival was pretty tame.. these people seem so kind.. they sure do love to dance though."

"You know, speaking of dancing," Grace turned from him and towards the thinning crowd, "Do you think Danny will be back any time soon?"

Before Josh could muster up a response, the younger boy spun out from the crowd, his hands gripping the wooden table as beads of sweat rolled down the side of his head.

"I.. never knew.. an old lady could dance like that.." Danny panted, wiping the sweat from his brow with a bright pink blush on his cheeks.

"Did you see what might look like the gym leader?" Josh asked, only getting a shaken head in response, much to his displeasure as he sighed.

"Darn it! This is going to take all night.." Grace groaned, slamming her head against the wooden table in frustration.

Danny frowned, sliding next to Josh before burying his head into his arms in exhaustion, barely being able to form out a word.

"Hey, did one of you say somethin' about a gym leader?"A delicate, bright voice asked from behind Grace, who turned around to meet whoever it was.

Josh poked his head up, staring at the woman who had her hands on her hips, and a zany smile growing on her face.

She had bright, orange hair flowing all the way down to her hips with yellow tips on the end of each as if to resemble magma. She wore an oversized crimson red t-shirt, making it almost unable to see her hands. She wore dark blue jeans with a hole ripped into the left pant leg, while she had sandals attached to her feet.

"Yeah.. why?" Josh questioned, giving the strange woman a quizzial look before standing up himself, his hand sliding on the table.

A brief giggle escaped from her lips, her green eyes brightening up in absolute joy, "I'm surprised no one pointed you to _my _gym! They treat it like a main attraction~!"

"Wait, wait.. YOUR gym? So that means you're Ashley.. but it's no surprise no one led me to it, they've been out partying all day!" Josh seethed, clenching his fists in annoyance.

"Hey, don't be so rude, kid! These people deserve this, y'know.. not everything is battling to them, so show some respect, 'kay?" Ashley gave a sudden frown, her eyes wandering to Danny, who still had his head buried in his arms, "What about him? Why doesn't _he _challenge me? I'm sure he's nicer than you, you mean kid!"

"I.. don't.. do battles.. sorry.." Danny squeezed words from his throat, his hand gripping his shirt as he rose his head just a bit, "... Don't take Josh for.. a bad guy.. he's really c-cool.."

"Aw, poor guy," Ashley shrugged, hanging her arms behind her head, "And who is this little lady? Is she your girlfriend?"

Grace crossed her arms, clearly upset as she turned towards the woman, "Stop playing around and get to what you were going to say. You're annoying me."

Ashley shut her eyes, sighing with dissatisfaction as she slowly opened them, once again focusing on the challenger at hand, "Fine. Meet me at the gym.. that girl should know where it's at, since she beat me earlier.. see ya later~"

The trio pushed their way through the thinning crowds in the street, eventually coming upon a sign that rested in front of what they had known to be the gym.

Gym Leader: Ashley, the fire-type master that burns her opponents to cinders.

"I found you, finally!"

The trio turned around to see that Joey had been rushing towards them, looking slightly irritated as he quickly attempted to catch his breath.

"Oh, hey! I was just about to take on Ashley. Have you been looking for me all day?" Josh asked, getting a nod in response.

"Yeah," Joey said, his panting coming to a sudden stop, "I want to be there for you, and besides.." He shifts his gaze to Grace.

"What? Oh, you're that weird boy that Josh was hanging out with in the museum!" Grace grinned with pride, "Dunno why I remember you.. you don't look at all that weird."

Ignoring the comment, Joey turned back to his two friends, a slight smirk emerging from his lips. "So, I'm guessing you're ready, then?"

"Hey, don't ignore me!"

"Yeah, pretty much," Josh suddenly smiled, rolling a pokeball around in his hand, "What, do you suddenly believe in me?"

"Man, I've always believed in you! I just don't want you to get overconfident, ever since what happened with Liman, you know?" Joey expressed a concerned look from his eyes, a glint of worry hiding in them.

Danny chuckled, ruffling his own hair as he stared up at his two friends, "He's got this, I know he does! Go knock her down a peg, buddy!"

Grace's eyes shifted from left to right, obviously confused at the on-going pep talk. "Um.. can.. can we just go in? It's going to get dark soon, you know?"

"Yeah, whatever," Joey brushed her off with a wave of his hand, "She's at least got a point, so let's head in."

"You actually came, you mean little kid? I'm kinda shocked.." Ashley tilted her head, smiling innocently as the doors shut behind them.

"You shouldn't be," Josh retorted, a confident grin plastered to his face, "I'm going to make you wish you never became a Gym Leader."

Ashley promptly snorted, running her hands down her face as she giggled uncontrollably. "Ohhh my Arceus, I've never heard something that funny! You better be ready to back that up, kid!"

Joey eased his hand onto his friend's shoulder, "Remember this.. keep a level head. She's going to taunt you and try to throw you off, so just keep your composure, got it?"

"Got it." Josh nodded, seeing his friends make their way to the bleachers in the corner of his eye, "I needed that."

Suddenly, a man dressed in a white suit with black stripes running down the torso and the back stepped into the arena.

"For safety reasons, the challenger needs to step into the main portion of the arena! Rules shall be explained once he has done so!"

"Oh, uh.. okay." Josh said nonchalantly, slowly walking to the bottom side of the arena, keeping his arms crossed.

Suddenly, a fire erupted from all sides of the rectangular battle area, the flames sealing off every single side of the gym.

"Holy shit, what the hell was that?! Are you trying to burn me alive?" Josh jumped in shock, carefully holding onto his pokeballs in caution.

Ashley giggled, pressing her fingers against her hip, "Nah, my Pokemon would do that for me... but, anyway, to put this simply.. if your Pokemon is sent out of bounds, which is outside of the flames, you lose this gym battle. That's my gimmick."

Josh couldn't help but chuckle, rolling a pokeball into his hand, "You must be desperate if you think you can beat me by using some tricks. Let's get this going, already."

"Fine, if you insist," Ashley yanked her pokeball from her necklace, "Quilava, I choose you!"

_Quilava, the Volcano Pokemon. Before battle, it turns its back on its opponent to demonstrate how ferociously its fire blazes. _

Quilava has a cream-colored on its underside, its fairly long front and back legs sharing the same color. On its back, however, it has a dark, turquoise color with several blood red holes scattered along its back, which fire may erupt from.

The volcanic mouse suddely turned, its holes suddenly spitting out an intense fire as it once again turned to face Josh, a very serious look in its dark red eyes.

"This should be good.. go, Pancham!" Josh chucked the ball onto the floor, his panda bear martial artist pokemon taking a stance as the white light faded.

"Not a water type? I'm surprised you didn't go with the easy way, but whatever! I can respect this!" Ashley commented, smiling sweetly, "Quilava, use flame wheel!"

Smoke poured out from the holes in the beast's back, until a bright fire encased the Pokemon, allowing it to roll towards Pancham.

Pancham only nodded at its master, tilting its black half-cap as it leaned backward, rolling its fist backward.

"Good, you know what I want! Be sure to hit that thing hard with Comet Punch!" Josh pumped his fist with full confidence as the flaming pokemon charged faster and faster towards Pancham.

Before it could collide, the panda pokemon's fist sank into the flames, colliding with the enemy's left eye, stopping Quilava in its tracks.

As the Pokemon stopped in shock, Pancham quickly took a step back and firmly planted its fist into the volcanic vermin's gut, sending it skidding across the ground and back to its owner, unconcious before it came to a stop.

Ashley's eyes widened in shock, the red light from her Pokeball sucking Quilava back inside. "I didn't expect you to beat my Quilava so easily, but now I know not to underestimate you. You're good.."

"Damn right," Josh nodded, pointing his pokeball at Pancham before returning it, "You deserve to keep going, but I have to let the rest of the team get a chance.. sleep well, buddy."

Ashley slipped her second ball off from her necklace as will, throwing it up and down in her hand before tossing it at the floor. "Go, Heatmor!"

_Heatmor, the Anteater Pokemon. Using their very hot, flame-covered tongues, they burn through Durant's steel bodies and consume their insides. _

Heatmor's torso is that of a magma red color with golden yellow streaks resembling cracks running down every few inches. On its lower body it hs two pipes connecting insid of its abdomen, which lead back to its tail which is like a motor, pumping out air and smoke for it to breathe. Its feet only have two toes, and are reltively stubby and brown. Its hands are a magma red as well, having three golden colored claws. On its hands are grey-colored gauntlets with several holes. Its head is elongated, having a hole on the end of it, where fire manages to escape out from its body. Its eyes are a white, and its iris is a plain black dot.

"Pikachu, go!" Josh called out, his pokeball spinning in the air as his electric rodent jumped out from the ball and onto the ground, "Start off with electro ball!"

Pikachu's red cheeks began to spark as it slowly formed a ball above him, fairly the size of his own body before it was finished.

"Interrupt his Pikachu with fire spin!" Ashley instructed, its mouth suddenly gaping wide open as a flurry of flames torrented from its throat.

"Try to send the ball through the fire!" Josh ordered, resting his arm above his eyes as if to protect himself from the fire.

As the tornado of fire approached, the ball of lightning was flung through until it made contact with the Anteater, causing it to twitch beyond control, sparks flinging off its body before it suddenly screeched, the lightning engulfing it entirely.

But at the same time, the flames circled Pikachu as they closed in, brushing against its fragile, yellow skin as it squealed.

_There's not a thing I can do.. _Josh thought to himself, sweat dripping down his forehead, _I've heard about this.. I can't recall him back to his pokeball until that bitch releases him._

Heatmor panted, smoke pouring out from its exhaust tail as Pikachu clenched its teeth in frustration and pain, its eyes shut tightly.

"Pikachu, please, try to muster up the strength for thunderbolt! After that, I swear, you can rest for as long as you want!" Josh begged his partner, pleading for him to give it his all.

Luckily, lighting was flung off the tiny mouse's cheeks, the bolts striking Heatmor before it could focus its next attack.

"Heat!" The Anteater beast cried, falling on its back as the electricity coursed through its body, rendering it powerless no matter how hard it tried to pull itself together.

The fire dissipated around Pikachu, allowing him to fall to the warm gym floor, completely exhausted even though the bout was short.

"You did good.." Josh pet his companion's head, returning it back to its pokeball before standing back up and sliding it into his pocket, "Heatmor is done for as well, now, huh?"

Ashley sighed, displeased as the red light zipped straight into her pokeball, "Let's finish this, already! I'm going to crush you with my ace!"

"Bring it on! I'm about to do the same, so get it over with!" Josh motioned his hands towards himself, his next pokeball already in his hand.

"Magmar, show this punk that we mean business!" Ashley practically screamed with anger, the pokeball _cracking _against the floor as her final pokemon slipped out.

_Magmar, the Spitfire Pokemon. Found near the mouth of a volcano. This fire-breather's body temperature is nearly 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit. _

Magmar has a rather humanoid body, despite its appearance. It stands on two red feet with two claws on each foot, a black leg connecting it to a round, yellow knee. Its body obviously resembles flames, having a yellow and red mix. Its arms have red, ruffly fur as well as five claws on each hand. It has beak-like lips, and has two red lumps which have a hint of yellow that lead up to what little hair it has. Finally, it has seveal sharp dark red spikes on its back, leading down its tail with an intense flame on the very tip.

"That Pokedex entry.. I gotta be careful.. go, Frogadier!" The trainer tossed his pokeball into his air, his Frogadier spinning onto the ground as it placed its hand at the forehead, saluting his partner.

"A water type, just now? I'm going to beat you down, no matter what kind of type advantage you have, kid!" Ashley stated matter-of-factly, her determined smile only growing.

"Water pulse!" Josh ignored her, allowing his pokemon to quickly dash towards the humanoid creature, cupping its hands together as water began to form in between them.

"Feint attack, Magmar! Show him what you got!" Ashley couldn't help but grin as her pokemon suddenly vanished in thin air.

Almost out of what seemed like thin air, Magmar appeared behind the frog and gave it a swift kick to the spine, its claws raking down its back.

"Frogadier!" The frog pokemon screeched, steam rising off his back, feeling that merely being touched by this Pokemon would mean severe pain.

"Hey, quickly, while you're still close! Use smack down!" Josh shouted, his fists clenched in worry as sweat rolled down the sides of his head.

"What? A water pokemon with a rock-type move?!" Ashley's jaw nearly dropped, astounded at what was apparently true.

Frogadier quickly spat out a rock at Magmar, who tried to dodge but to no avail. The rock bashed into the Pokemon's forehead, forcing it to back away as it shouted furiously.

"Frogadier, try to use water pulse, again!" Josh dictated, a sphere of water once again forming in-between the frog's webbed hands.

"Flame burst! I don't care if it's not effective, burn that thing! NOW!" Ashley screamed as the sphere of water launched at her precious prized ace.

Magmar spat a sliver of fire at Frogadier, who simply shrugged it off as it disapated once it had hit the skin.

The blast of water pulsated through the humanoid beast's body, throwing it into the floor as its limbs sprawled out, the ground beneath it cracked slightly.

Suddenly, the flames on each side died down, the two trainers fully visible as the referee stepped back onto the arena.

"Ashley no longer has any active Pokemon! Josh and his Frogadier are the winners! He has rightfully earned the Flare badge!"

Ashley smiled sadly as she stepped past her fainted partner, her hand extended as she approached the duo.

"You sure got mad at the end," Josh chuckled, playfully rubbing his starter's head as a thank you, "It's funny, because I expected to lose my cool for a second.."

"But you didn't, and that's what it takes to be a real trainer," Ashley admitted, lifting the badge up which resembled that of a wooden torch, with the tip having an enormous fire, "You've earned this. For the next gym, I recommend going to New Kingston.. Dina is going to _love _your strength."

"Is that right? Well, I'll take that advice!" Josh smiled brightly, bringing the badge closer into view as he snatched it from her hand, "My third badge.. well, me and my friends will be off now.. thank you, Ashley."

"I think I'm going to renew my training.. I wasn't exactly a prime example," she said with a content sigh, "Until then, take care!"

"Same to you."

"The guide says we have to get through some kind of cave.. which means through the bottom of the volcano!" Danny excitedly informed the other three, scanning the guidebook for any bits of information.

"Well, I guess we'll go there right away!" Josh said, getting nods from the other three, which led him to turn to Grace, "Are you going to stick with us from now on?"

"Huh?" Grace bit her lip, shaking her head, "Eh, nah! I'm only going with you since I'm heading in the same direction.. besides, you seem like you enjoy my company."

"Yeah, totally.." Josh replied dryly, shrugging his shoulders, "Let's get going guys. I want to get out of there before morning!"

"But, but.. don't we need to rest? It's almost time to go to bed!" Joey complained as the trio ahead of him began to ran, leading him to follow, "Hey, come on! I'm tired too!"

With that, the temporary group of four's next target would be the infamous volcano, but it was odd.. any of them could swear they felt something _sinister _radiating from the dormant mountain.


	19. Blazing Saddle

The roof of the rocky cavern quaked, a muffled rumbling coming to a stop as quickly as it had started, leaving the stalagmites to dangle with much less stability than one would expect.

"And I was complaining about it being too cold outside..." Josh said, kicking a rock across the ground, "I'm being cooked alive here!"

"It is pretty toasty!" Danny said non-chalantly, "I think it's pretty nice in here, not gonna lie! I'd much rather warm up than freeze!"

Grace giggled, staring over at Josh mockingly, "Oh, get over it! It's a great change of pace, you just need to stop whining like a baby."

"Excuse me," Joey interjected, resting a hand on Danny's shoulder, "I hate to interrupt your little argument, but, did no one else feel the floor above us shake?"

"It's probably nothing," Grace sneered with a roll of her eyes, "Probably a wild Pokemon that's pissed off at Josh's whining!"

"Ugh, just keep your mouth shut." Josh snapped at the young girl suddenly, leaving her to step back in shock as he looked towards the others, "I didn't notice it, but-"

His words were drowned out by the roof shaking for the second time, bits of stone falling from above, pelleting the cavern's floor.

But with the shaking came the sound of a mechanical whirring, the rocky ceiling shaking twice as quickly now.

"What the heck is going on?!" Danny yelled over the ear-shattering sound, only to suddenly be pulled along by Joey, with Josh and Grace running from behind.

Suddenly, the solid stone wall split, a thin crack running along the entirety of the roof as it slowly pulled itself apart. Whatever was running amok above was rupturing this floor, that was for sure.

Finally, the dirt and the rocks crashed against the hard earth as the group of four turned a corner, rushing up the nearest slope as the whirring came to an agonizingly slow stop.

The four turned, stepping out from behind a wall so they could get a good look at whatever was causing such a ruckus.

At least a dozen heads turned in their general direction as the debris had been cleared out of the way, an unpleasant frown on their faces, save Grace.

Before them were a dozen men dressed in formal attire, which had been dreadfully familiar to them. The same golden curves across the eyes, the white ruffles sticking out from their dress shirts, the pitch black suits not even having a stain of dirt. In each of their hands was a drill, having a handle that extended far away from the end. Unlike normal drills, the end of these had to have been maximized by at least four times the size of an average one.

"Uh, why are you guys so freaked out?" Grace asked, perplexed as she peered at the strange men, each of them with a grimace upon their covered faces.

"Oh, you do not know of these scum, little girl?" An airy, curious voice resounded, bouncing off the walls of the cavern.

The man wore the same uniform as the rest of them, except his mask had several changes to it. Firstly, instead of the flat mask the rest had, he wore a mask that extended outward. Its snout especially, having a sharp horn sticking into the dusty air slightly. Above the eyes, it had two even sharper horns sticking further out. Its jaw was wide, but its mouth had no teeth inside. All in all, it looked as if it represented a triceratops skull.

"Uh, gee, don't you look weird," Grace spat out, an anxious look sticking to her face, "Scum? I dunno about you, but these are just a silly bunch of teenage boys.. nothing really too dangerous."

"Not dangerous you say, hm?" Ignoring her first comment, the man in charge looked over at the trio, his hands fiddling behind his back as he stepped toward them, "They have been a thorn in our side for the past month and a half.. they have disposed of two leaders in our movement, and have made us look like fools time and time again! They even have the _gall _to insult our lady, thus, I cannot let them live."

"Y-you.. can't let them live?" Grace's anxious look faded, turning to one of disgust, "Excuse me? They're nothing but kids, besides, you look like a bunch of freaks anyway!"

Josh grunted, taking Grace by the shoulder and pulling her back towards him with a stern look, "You don't want to fool around with these guys.. they went as far as kidnapping Danny once."

"Yeah," Joey said, sweat rolling down the side of his head, "Last time we ran into them, a leader of theirs tried to take me out in Lunegra Forest.. I won by a stroke of luck."

Danny frowned, looking solemn, "As for me, I've never beaten a leader. They're not someone I would like to be around."

A chuckle emerged from behind the mask as the man's hand pulled it off, revealing his face. He had short blue hair with bangs that hung in front of his face, as well as having a short stubble around his cheeks, "They have sense to fear us, but.. I, Ross, will be the end of you! The grunts will not have to worry, and they will continue gathering the fire-type Pokemon for our little experiment in Astalero Town!"

"You're an idiot," Josh growled, taking a step closer to the blue-haired young man, "Why would you tell us the base of your operations? Do you plan on being defeated?'

"Like I said," Ross chuckled, tossing a pokeball up and down from the palm of his hand, "I will be the end of you three.. well, no, make that four. I can't let the little lady get out of here alive, either."

Before Grace could defend herself, Josh stepped in front of her with a pokeball in hand as he looked around the room for the second time.

The walls had cracks burrowing downward, presumably from where the grunts had been working. But whatever they had been working on was certainly lost on him.

Cages lined the walls around them, though the majority of the pokemon were the sam. There was Houndour, Magmar.. but what was that one in the corner? Josh hadn't seen one like that before.

It was simplistic, but it intrigued him. It was a pale-skinned horse, with ponted ears and dark brown eyes. Fur had been replaced with flames, extending from the the top of its head and down its back, even acting as a tail. It even had small flames on each individual leg, as well as having four blue hooves. He had to know what it was. But first, he would have to free all of these poor creatures.

Ross frowned, a bit turned off by how his opponent had suddenly stopped responding, watching him make his way over to the fire horse.

"You want to make friends _now_? Well, these are the last moments of your life," Ross said confidently, chuckling, "Do want you want, whatever you decide to do is futile."

Josh ignored him, bending down to to the small horse as he slipped his pokedex out from his pocket, a small smile on his face, "Don't worry, buddy.. I'm gonna get you outta there."

_Ponyta, the Fire Horse Pokemon. Its hooves are ten times harder than diamond. It can trample anything completely flat in little time._

"Getting it out of there, huh? I don't think so, not on my watch!" Ross couldn't help but laugh, chucking the pokeball in his hand onto the floor, "Crandios, take care of this stupid kid."

As the illumination of the light began to fade, the outline of the creature became visible as it made a threatening stance.

Cranidos stands on its two stone grey feet, having three sharp claws on the front and one on the end. Its legs connect to its relatively heavy and sturdy body. Its front is a majorly gray color, while the back of it is a spike-like blue-colored pattern. Its front has two tiny hands with three small claws. The top of its head is free of any fur, having a bald blu head with four dull spikes on the back of its head. It has threatening red, glaring eyes as well.

_Cranidos, the Head Butt Pokemon. It lived in jungles around one hundred million years ago. Its skull is as hard as iron._

"No need for a battle," Ross said bluntly, crossing his arms, "Head smash on the brat, then we can move onto the other three. Got it?"

"Crani!" Cranidos lowered its head as it charged towards Josh, and a scream would emerge from his lungs if it weren't for the ground shaking once again.

But this time, it was unlike any other experience. Anyone could hear massive footsteps crawling downward, as a part of the ceiling above cracked, leaving it to fall to the earth without a care.

Out from the hole, came an unknown pokemon. It was the size of any ordinary human, but it appeared to be monstrous in appearance.

"Is that Heatran?!" Grace shouted, bringing everything to a halt as even the attacker stared towards the wall in fear and yet satisfaction.

Heatran resembles an iron golem of some sort. Its head is made of hardened steel, having an iron mask covering its forehead. But belw that was its firey orange eyes, having black dots in the middle. Its mouth was shut with its steel teeth, its belly emitting heat as it crawled ever so closer. Its body was an orangish-red, completely composed of lava. Its four legs extended outward, having four steel bangles on each foot.

_Heatran, the Lava Dome Pokemon. Boiling blood, like magma, circulates through its body. It makes its dwelling place in volcanic caves._

"HEAT!" Heatran monstrously bellowed, its heavy maw gaping wide as magma sloshed about inside of it.

Ross soon stopped his shaking, an absurd grin taking place instead, "Finally, our goal has been met! The mighty legendary Pokemon, Heatran, has appeared before us, and all we had to do was capture the wild life.. these beings are far too benevolent, but we will have to make use of this!"

Josh quickly unglued his stare from the legendary pokemon as hard as it had to be, fiddling with the lock on the Ponyta's cage, "Come on.. come on!"

Ponyta neighed, the fire on its back flairing as it stared towards the iron golem, as if it had been inspired by its unexpected appearance.

The roof of the cage seemed to waver, but Josh's hands found his ears quickly as another beastly scream fell out from Heatran's mouth.

It stared down at Ross defiantly, its maw opening as fire began to form on the inside, swirling in circles as it growled lowly.

"Guys, get onto the ground!" Joey shouted in desperation, quickly taking a dive for the earth as the rest of the group did so, the grunts and Ross copying the act as well.

Before they know it, a hurricane of fire flew throughout the chamber, melting the _rock _around them as the floor became loose.

Josh shut his eyes as he rolled away from the cage against his will, the ground beneath him caving in when he came to a stop.

_THUD._

"Urgh.." Danny's eyes slowly fluttered open, an ache coursing through his back as he rolled over, now on his hands and knees, "Guys? Please tell me I'm not by myself.."

Just a few feet away had been Joey and Grace, dusting themselves off as they stumbled over to the poor boy, the former extending his hand to him.

"I'm really happy you're okay," Joey clasped his chest with his free hand, pulling his friend up with a strained grunt, "But Josh isn't here.. he could have fallen with Ross, which is a huge problem."

"Um, I think we're in a bit more trouble than he might be," Grace interrupted, sighing shakily as her hands ran up the rocky surface of a blockade.

The stone ran up the wall, stuck into place from the massive attack the beast had unleashed. This was proven, as Joey had walked forward, unable to make a single rock budge.

"You guys will have to take care of this," Joey said grimly, "I can't help, none of my pokemon have the physical strength to pick up rocks like these.. normally, I would get Scyther, but he doesn't have hands."

Grace bit her lip, anxiety once again filling her heart as she slowly pulled a pokeball from her necklace, "Pignite, we need you out here!"

Danny nodded in response, flinging his own pokeball as well, "She's right! Come on out Maggie, we need all the help we can get!"

The pokeballs opened simultaneously, showing the fire boar and the panda bear, each of them looking at each other confidently, then suddenly crossed their arms.

"Pig, pig nite!" The flaming boar nodded, pointing to the left side of the craggy blockade before rushing over to the right.

"Cham." Maggie bowed, walking to the left as she held her right hand high into the air, suddenly swinging it downward to the stone in front of her, shattering it into pieces almost instantly.

"Aw, they like each other!" Danny giggled, joining his hands together in awe, "We'll get this done in no time!"

"Right! Give it your all, guys!" Grace cheered the fighting types on, a warm grin spreading across her face.

Joey only sat back, though he could see something glimmer in the corner of the cavern. "Huh? What could that be?"

Josh's arms spread across the wall behind him, fearfully staring at the beast kicking up dirt in front of him.

Ross only shrugged, smirking, "We weren't able to capture Heatran, but we will still be able to rid our lady of you. No more will you be a thorn in our side!"

Josh lips quivered as he tried to choke words out, but he had been far too overwhelmed. He was sure if he reached for something in his bag, Cranidos would gut him like a fish.

"Don't even think about trying to battle me, kid," Ross chuckled, seemingly satisfied with the outcome of events, "One move, and you're dead."

"Coward," Josh said, although dismayed that Cranidos was showing him his diamond-hard skull in full view, "Your two friends liked to battle, but you won't even take a chance?"

"I don't doubt your strength," Ross replied, furrowing his brow, "I know of your stupid frog. It could easily defeat me, so why would I let you battle me when I could just finish you now?"

"Then why haven't you shut up and killed me yet? Are you afraid I have something up my sleeve?" Josh smirked, admittedly faking his courage to speak to a man that had him, no matter what he said or did.

"Shut up!" Ross snarled, clenching his fists in a fit of anger, "I've had enough of you, and so has my lady! Head sma-"

Suddenly, Ross whirled around to watch a flash of white speed past a nearby corridor and firmly plant its hoof against the side of his dinosaur pokemon's temple.

Cranidos yelped as it fell face first into the dirt, its eyes shutting firmly as the assailaint came to a stop next to Josh.

Ponyta stood triumphant, her mane composed of flames waving in the air as she rubbed her head against Josh's cheek.

"Stupid beast, you sucker punched my pokemon! You just got lucky!" Ross would grind his teeth in frustration, sweat now rolling down his nervous face.

Josh could only smirk, stroking the side of the pale horse's face, "There you go! You got out, and you saved me! Thanks, girl."

Ponyta whinnied affectionatley before spreading her hooves apart, turning back to the commander with malice in her eyes.

"Now that I think about it.." Josh mumbled to himself, "I think that Ponyta just used double kick. That means... oh, I am so lucky!"

"What are you going on about, kid?!" Ross roared, visibly shaken that his trusted pokemon had fainted in one fell swoop.

"This Ponyta has an egg move," Josh said with a confident snigger, "To make it easier for you, it means it knows a move it can't naturally learn. It used double kick on your Cranidos, Ross. That's why it's down and out, not just because it sucker punched your dinosaur."

"Shut up, I don't want to hear this stupid shit!" Ross screamed, his hands pulling and raking through his hair, "You won't live to see the light of day, I'm going to kill you right here and now!"

"Yeah, I don't think so," a determined voice said from around the corner, with two others following behind him, "You're going to let him go, or you'll be dealt with, asshat."

All color fled from Ross's face as he turned both ways, turning away from the now group of four, darting down the opposite corridor.

"You're lucky we found you," Joey gleefully said, bringing his eyes towards the fire horse, "This little girl luckily knew your scent from when you went to her cage. If not for her, you would have been dead by now."

"Yeah, I realize that," Josh beamed, running his hand across Ponyta's neck, "She trusts me, too.. I guess she's as smart as I thought."

"Are you gonna let her join your team?" Danny asked, his face suddenly glowing with excitement, "Please?"

"Hell yeah, why not?" Josh smiled from ear to ear, resting his hand on the horse's neck, "Do you want to join me, Ponyta?"

"Pony!~" the fire horse neighed, rubbing the side of her head against her now-trainer's arm, a gleeful look in her eyes, "Ta!"

"Great choice," Josh said, still smiling as he tapped a pokeball against her forehead, watching as she was sucked up into the device, "It's a shame.. we don't know if those other Pokemon made it out, much less Team Masquerade."

"We can only hope, y'know?" Grace answered his curiosity, though with a frown, "We'll just have to remain uncertain until the police force in Avangela come here to investigate."

"Yeah, right." Josh sighed, displeased, "Well, we better get out of here before that legendary pokemon goes berserk again.. doesn't seem to take too kind to strangers."

The cool, night air brushed against their skin as they stepped out from the cave's exit, breaths of relief leaving all of them.

"Well, it looks like we'll have to set up camp around here," Danny informed the three surrounding him, surveying the area, "Astalero Town is ten miles away, no way we can get there in the shape we're in."

"Good luck with that," Grace suddenly said, slipping her bag around her shoulder, "I have to head off to New Kingston to get my fourth badge, and maybe then I'll have another fight with you, Josh.."

"Yeah," Josh replied, showing an awkward smile, "Last time was fun, we need to do that again – but with more than just one Pokemon, got it?"

"Heh, got it," Grace giggled, bobbing her head, "I'll see you guys later. You're not as bad as I thought you were, so looking forward to our next meeting!"

The trio waved, chanting their goodbyes as she traveled downward, until the horizon concealed her presence.

"What's ouur next objective, guys?" Danny asked, plopping down onto the grass as he looked up at his friends.

"We're going to Astalero Town," Joey said matter-of-factly, "We're going to put a stop to whatever those group of shitheads are doing, no matter what it takes."

"Damn straight," Josh yawned, sinking to the ground as well, "But, before that, I need to sleep.. so, goodnight!"

"Night."


	20. Memento Mori

_Memento Mori - remember that you will die._

The cars on the highway roared in the darkness of the night, the full moon shining onto the empty street below.

The blonde haired boy rolled in the tall grass surrounding his suburban home, his jeans becoming stained as his companion followed him.

"Ninjassssk!" It cried happily, its two wide, crimson red eyes pointing upward in delight, its red tinted white wings flapping playfully.

A rotund, grey skinned beast bounced next to him in joy, its two wispy grey growths waving in the warm summer air.

The young boy's eyes shut as he rolled into the street, grasping his bug pokemon's tiny grey leg, laughing in bliss.

HONK! HONK! HONK!

The boy only continued to laugh, his hands slipping away from his partner, his eyes only opening in time to see the headlights come face to face.

Ninjask quickly made a dash for the boy, only for the vehicle to slam into it, its wheels bumping over the child's body, an audible snap resonating from his now broken body.

A door slammed open, a light horrified shriek as tears of disbelief ran down this young woman's face.

"KUPO!"

When Josh's eyes opened, he had expected to meet the wide open green fields, the beautiful blue sky.. but he was only met with blackness. That and the singular, piercing red eye staring at him from across the vast emptiness.

His ears rang, feeling as if something was being shoved forcefully through his skull as the eye stared more menacingly with each second.

What was just shown to him? The boy that's been following him, all this time.. run over by a reckless driver.

Josh exhaled deeply, bringing his head up as his darkened eyes met with the bright red eye staring at him, ".. Why did you show me that?"

The darkness fled out from underneath his feet, revealing a hard, cold white surface as grey clouds flooded the empty sky above them.

The red eye wasn't by itself any more, having its own body to accompany it in the lighter surroundings.

It had a round, dark grey body with yellow lines moving across the middle, making its way around its entire body, as well as two yellow crests set evenly apart above it. Its arms, sharing the same color, had three yellow rings on each, with two grey, seemingly flat, hands attached. When coming to its head, it had three light grey flaps on each side of its head, extending outward. Its head was cone-like, the slit where a mouth would be containing the red eye. The top of its head had a yellow ring around it, as well as a flat, yellow disc atop of that.

"Y-you haven't answered me," Josh stuttered, his legs feeling as if they had been locked in place, "Why did you show me that.. and what are you?"

"Because, my master requested it," the creature spoke in a low voice, one of its flat grey hands motioning to a boy standing in front of him, "What I am doesn't matter."

Josh's eyes couldn't help but shift towards the creature's abdomen, the yellow zigzag curving into a broken smile, "Your master..?"

Looking over just a bit, he was able to catch the boy in his sights, his blonde hair resting on his neck, empty blue eyes looking forward into the oblivion surrounding them. This was Kupo.. the kid he met in the forest.. the kid that followed him into town.

"Hi," Kupo whispered softly, his blank blue eyes gazing at the older trainer, a small smile on his young face, "I haven't seen you in a few days, mister."

"Kupo," Josh squeezed out, managing to pry his foot off the ground although slowly, "What are you doing? What.. what happened to you?"

The young boy frowned, tears welling up in his eyes as he clenched his tiny fists, "I miss my daddy. I miss my mommy. I want you to stay with me, mister."

"I can't do that, and you know it." Josh stated bluntly, his shaking hand slipping into his pocket only to find that nothing was there but three pokeballs, "No badges, but.. my team? What did you _do to them_?"

"Eep!" Kupo shrieked briefly, easing towards his ghostly companion, "I.. I thought we could have fun, and battle with our friends! I've always wanted to be a trainer!"

Josh would respond, but a second figure floated out from behind the small child, this one being much smaller than the first.

It almost looked like an inanimate shell, the bottom of it being a dull grey, with the top of it being an almost solid gold color. Three, almost rusty looking wings spread out from its back, with two golden nubs on its front side. It had two bulbous spheres on each side of its head, with a black dot on each. Above it was a white, spinning halo.

"Shedinnnjj.." It muttered, lifelessly floating as the boy ran his hand across its back, staring at Josh all the while.

The groaning came to a stop, a nearly silent buzzing sound emanating from one of the figures, but he couldn't tell which.

Looking up, he could see that the grey clouds above had begun to slowly descend towards the hollow insect, disappearing after only a minute or two.

"I'm not going to get out any other way," Josh spoke aloud to himself, clenching his pokeball tightly, "Let's make a deal, Kupo. If I beat you, you have to let me out. If you win, I'm stuck here forever, deal?"

Kupo gave a wide grin to Josh, nodding excitedly as he hopped up and down, pointing forward, "Yes, yes, yes! Thank you, mister!"

"Okay.. come on, Frogadier, please be in there!" Josh begged the pokeball, tossing it into the white abyss as the frog pokemon ascended from the white light.

"Frogadier?" The frog pokemon croaked quizzically, instead of performing his usual salute, "F.. froga?"

Turning his head, he was able to spot the child and his two equally unsettling partners standing on each side of him.

"I don't know how, but you're here, buddy." Josh spoke softly to his partner, bending down on one knee to reach eye-level, "We're going to have to try our hardest, especially now.."

"Dier?" Frogadier tilted his cranium, flicking his tongue out instinctively as he motioned towards the apparent enemies, "Froga. Frogadier!"

_It's like he knows.. he just wants to please me by fighting and winning.. well, I won't let him down! _Josh thought to himself, spreading his feet apart as he clenched his fists, both of them shaking.

"So that's what he's gonna use," The blond child murmured to himself, pointing to his floating insect, "Ninjy, I want you to go first!"

Shedinja barely responded, floating lifelessly towards where the middle of the ground appeared to be. It was obvious that it was as if this thing was dead as a doornail.

"No holding back, Frogadier!" Josh grit his teeth, staring straight ahead at the poor boy, "Even though all that happened to you, I'm not going to hold back! Do you got that?!"

"I got it, mister!" Kupo grinned happily, his arms staying attached to his sides as Shedinja suddenly sank into the ground.

"What kind of attack is that?!" Josh shouted, flabbergasted as he turned left and right, unable to catch a glimpse of the insect.

In a flash, a swirling purple vortex opened up in front of Frogadier, the golden body of Shedinja ramming into his gut.

Frogadier advanced backwards, putting his hands together and firing a line of water towards the insect, only for it to phase through the attack.

"What the hell?! Water pulse should have done something.." Josh's heart thumped like a drum inside of his chest wildly, his mind racing with an idea or two.

"I thought you had looked far more skilled," Dusknoir bellowed, the golden zigzag turning into a crooked, disappointed frown. "You do not even know of Shedinja's ability. I cannot comprehend how you intend to escape."

Josh grunted, taking a step forward as Shedinja floated backwards, its empty eyes staring deep into Frogadier's.

"Frogadier, try and hit it with smack down until it lands!" Josh told his partner, watching as heavy rocks were flung towards the tiny bug, each coming out from the frog pokemon's gullet.

Most of that order wasn't needed, as the first stone crashed into Shedinja's tiny body, sending it skidding across the cold, white floor.

With not even a twitch from the insect's soulless carcass, tears had begun to well up in Kupo's eyes as he fell to his knees, all the while Josh returned Frogadier to its pokeball.

Sobbing, his hands balled up and hit the floor repeatedly, a purple aura surrounding his Dusknoir as its hands balled up into fists as well.

Suddenly, a thunderous wail surged across the room, the pure white contorting into a blood red as the grey clouds turned to black.

"You will pay for what you've done!" Dusknoir shouted, sparks flying off its grey fist as it flung itself forward.

In the blink of an eye, the ghost pokemon's fist landed across Frogadier's cheek, a surge of electricity coursing through its flexible body.

Without so much as a cry of pain, the frog pokemon fell to the ground face first, knocked out in just that one hit, leaving Josh to stand there in shock and terror.

"What did you expect me to do? It was a battle!" Josh yelled at Dusknoir, stepping forward as the scenery suddenly changed.

In a flash, Josh was now standing on short, green grass with a slight breeze flowing through his hair.

In front of him stood a decades-old tree, its leaves swaying in the breeze as he brought his eyes downward, seeing a little girl with long brown hair poke at her Tepig's nose.

"Wait a minute.." Josh stepped forward, his heart thumping and his brain rushing in disbelief as he walked closer to the girl, "Is that.. Grace? How do you know about her, you bastard?!"

"You're not in your physical body, it's merely a memory. The soul is like a canvas, and I can see every little detail about you. I cannot allow my master to be defeated." Dusknoir spoke lowly, its voice disembodied.

"She probably can't hear me, then.." Josh plopped onto the ground, crossing his foot over another, ".. If I could, I'd do it over again."

"You didn't save her." Dusknoir said, a sincerity to his tone as the boy only bit his lip in anger, or maybe it was disappointment.

"Shut up." Josh replied promptly, his hands running through the grass as he stared ahead at the girl he once knew, "She couldn't be saved."

"What's the point in doing it over again? She depended on you, and you did nothing to stop it. You are to blame."

**Transition**

Danny rolled over in his sleep, his head bumping against Josh's, his eyes flickering open as they met Josh's eyes, looking as if they were being glued down forcefully.

"Josh?" Danny whispered, nudging his friend's arm before sitting up, getting a good look at his partners as well.

Pancham was knocked out cold, looking as peaceful as he could possibly be. Frogadier looked like it was knocked out as well, but..

There was something wrong. Pikachu was barely breathing, his eyes twitching and small sparks flying off from his red cheeks.

"Pikachu? Wake up.." Danny mumbled, nudging Pikachu's side but to no avail, there was no getting around it, ".. Why won't you wake up?"

_Whatever it is, Josh and Pikachu seem to be struggling.. whatever it is, I hope they get through it.. I'll be watching.._

**Transition**

Josh grunted, his electric mouse pokemon moving backward as the two stared forward, clearly in pain.

Across from them both had been Dusknoir, with two flaming fists, each one ready to hit the two of them.

"Kupo isn't even telling you to do this, why do you think doing this will solve the problem?!" Josh shouted angrily, sparks springing off Pikachu's cheeks.

"You harmed my master, so it is my duty to return the favor." Dusknoir said solemnly, throwing its body towards the electric mouse pokemon, but he successfully succeeded in diving below the ghostly colossus.

"Pikachu, thunderbolt!" Josh roared his command, electric waves shooting from the thunder mouse's cheeks and crashing into the ghost.

Dusknoir simply shrugged, the lightning dissipating as he shoved Josh to the ground and passed behind him, continuously floating above the ground.

"You still have the strength to fight back.. it's clear to me that this scene isn't enough to break you." Dusknoir muttered to himself, and with a snap of his fingers the scenery changed once again.

This time it was a white room, repetitive beeping in the background. It smelled like it had been cleaned every hour, like it was almost too sterile.

Turning to see what was behind him, Josh swore he could have died in that moment. There was the child with long, brown hair in a hospital bed. Her eyes were squeezed shut, the lifeless machine beeping.

"This is what you have done," Dusknoir said, sounding smug, "You could have stopped this. This is your fault."

Josh felt tears roll down his cheeks as the machine flatlined, witnessing his best friend's death for the second time in his life.

Falling to his knees, his fists pounded at the white tiles, the smell of plastic flooding his nostrils.

"This is the pain my master has dealt with for so long," Dusknoir frowned, a flame shooting into its fist as it clenched, "Now you're going to suffer-"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

**Transition**

Danny turned towards Josh and his Pikachu again, the former clenching his fists, tears rolling down his face.

But something caught his eye, looking to Joey's bag to see something glowing brightly. He grabbed ahold of it, seeing that it was a stone with a lightning-shaped crack in it.

"This is the stone Joey found in the cave," Danny mumbled to himself, facing it towards Pikachu, ".. If they're fighting, he'll need this.. you can do it, Josh."

**Transition**

Josh began to tremble as the scenery changed back to the white wasteland, his legs shaking as he stood once again.

"What?! I didn't change it, what are you doing?!" Dusknoir questioned, shocked as his fists began to shake in fear.

A yellow aura surrounded Pikachu as his form turned to white, his body beginning to contort and grow in several different ways as the light faded.

Now standing twice as tall as he once was, his skin had turned to a bright orange. His ears had now grown be pointy and to have a brown outside, being yellow inside. His body became more plump, his orange body having a creamy white belly. Finally, his tail had become twice as long, being black and wire like, electricity coursing to the lightning bolt at the end.

Sparks flew off Raichu's now yellow cheeks, now scowling towards the ghostly enemy with anger. "Rrrrai…" He growled

Dusknoir's red eye widened in surprise, its body trembling, "I'm going to pay for harming YOUR master? Who do you think you are, little rat? My master will be avenged!"

Kupo only sobbed heavily, rubbing at his eyes to wipe the tears away as his light voice continued to get louder and louder, paying no attention to the current situation.

"I'm going to make you pay for showing me that," Josh mumbled, the tears drying into his skin, "And I'm going to put Kupo to rest, once and for all. Raichu, give it all you got!"

Dusknoir's fists became engulfed in flames once more as it charged, throwing a punch towards the giant mouse's gut, only for Raichu to jump upward, clinging onto the ghost's arm.

"Use thunder wave, Raichu!" Josh shouted, a mess of sparks transcending from the mouse pokemon's tail and shooting into the spirit's body, causing it to shake uncontrollably as visible electricity coursed through it.

Dusknoir flinched as Raichu's aura of electricity intensified, a thunderbolt emerging from his pointy ears and into the body of Dusknoir, leaving the colossus to scream in agony, its eye shutting tightly.

"Stop it, mister!" Kupo suddenly rushed in front of his now falling partner as Raichu jumped back towards Josh, "Don't hurt him any more!"

Josh's look of rage suddenly calmed, his teeth unclenching as he stared at Kupo in sympathy, ".. I'm sorry. Kupo, you know I had to do this, right?"

"i-I don't understand," Kupo sniffled, watching as Josh walked over and kneeled down, wrapping his arms around the small boy's torso, "I just.. want a friend.. I want my mommy!"

"Kupo," Josh began, moving one of his hands through the child's messy blond hair, "You need to let go. Being this way won't bring you back to your mom.. I have parents of my own, and friends of my own. You have your pokemon.. you all need to let go. You'll be much happier. Your mom will be happier."

"D-do you promise, mister? I don't know if I can.. b-but I'll try. I'm tough! Like you!" Kupo wiped his nose, looking up with closed eyes and a wide open smile, showing his perfectly white teeth.

Before he knew it, Kupo had disappeared and so had the unconscious body of Dusknoir. He could feel himself waking up as his eyes flickered open once more.

He turned over to his side, seeing his friends asleep.. but also to see that his Pikachu had indeed evolved. It was no dream.. but who had used a thunderstone? That's what made him wonder.

He couldn't help but notice that Danny was laying his head on Raichu's stomach, the colorless stone in his hand.

"Danny.. damn. I'm glad he noticed something was up.." Josh whispered to himself, running his hand down his abdomen to feel something silky smooth.

In his hand was a purple scarf, with golden words embedded into it: "Thank you."

Josh sniffled, wiping a tear from his eye as he slipped it around his neck, adjusting it to fit him correctly.

"... You're so very welcome."

**Author's Note: I know it isn't an amazing chapter, but I worked on this for a while after losing it twice. It's been one year since I began this story, and I'm grateful for the people who PM me about it, the people who I know read it, my friends for encouraging me to write it.. it's been a long road. It's been tough writing this, but I'm having more fun. Writing this chapter gave me goose bumps. I feel like my writing has improved since chapter one, so I'm going to re-write chapters one through five. Next chapter is going to shed some light on Samuel, since I haven't really done that. Again.. really, thank you to everyone who has stuck with this story for a year. It means a lot.**


	21. Wild Man

**AN: I did not write this chapter, another friend of mine did. As Samuel is a character he created, he wrote this chapter and I really enjoyed it.**

Tonight's sky was cool and cloudy with a thirty percent chance of rain. The moon's glow was very weak and not even the stars shined very bright. Being surrounded by thick jack pine that overshadowed the people and Pokemon wandering the forest only increased night's shade. Of course this made tonight all the better for a lovely campfire to sit around before bed. Joey and his Pokemon went to chop down some coniferous trees for firewood while Samuel was preparing a midnight meal for the boys. Danny sat on a log rubbing his Quilladin's belly, more specifically the brown fur underneath its green chestnut armor. Josh's Frogadier, Raichu, Pancham and Ponyta were playing a game of tag like children frolicking in the woods, which was an amusing sight to see.

That was until Josh's Frogadier crashed into Joey's tent, followed by Raichu, Pancham and Ponyta in now what looked like some drunk college frat boys partying too hard.

"Oh dang man, Joey's gonna kill you for that," Danny told Josh as he continued petting his Quilladin on the belly, which the armored Pokemon continued enjoying.

"Damn it you guys!" Josh yelled as he returned his four Pokemon into their Poke Balls. He then rushed over to the dismantled remains of Joey's tent and hastily attempted to repair it. "I just hope Joey doesn't see this."

"Too late bucko," Joey stated, grabbing Danny and Josh's attention. He and his Braixen, Eevee, Scyther and Mienfoo were holding stacks of firewood three feet high each. Yes even his Eevee who had no hands, but amazing sense of balance and strength to carry that much logs on her cute little head. "Let me guess, your Pokemon were playing tag again, right?"

"Yeah sorry about that man, but I'll fix it up again," Josh told his friend as he continued putting back up Joey's tent.

"Sorry worked the first couple of times this happened, but man you gotta get your team under control," Joey said as he and his Pokemon set the firewood down.

"They're just playing Joey!"

"They're just playing Joey!" Joey shot back in a mocking tone. "I wouldn't be surprised if your Pokemon outright destroyed my tent one of these days."

"Come on you guys, no need to get ticked at each other for this!" Danny exclaimed as he stopped rubbing his Quilladin's belly. His Quilladin stood up nervously as he held onto his trainer's leg.

"Braixen, use Fire Pledge on Josh's tent!" Joey ordered with the rage of a thousand fresh inmates. His Braixen obeyed and slammed her hand on the mossy forest floor, sending pillars of fire rushing towards Josh's tent.

"Quilladin, use Grass Pledge to counter it!" Danny commanded as his Quilladin stirred up columns of leaves to block the incoming attack. When the two Pledge moves collided a sea of fire started to form, instilling terror into the young trainers.

"Pedunan, use Razor Shell to stop the incoming Ragnarok and then give the boys and their Pokemon a proper smacking!" Samuel loudly informed his Barbaracle who was helping him cook dinner. The colony of barnacles stretched his limbs out and slashed at the growing lake of fire, putting the inferno ocean out before it could decimate the surrounding area. Pedunan then gave a nice firm smack to Josh, Danny and Joey on the face, along with any of their Pokemon currently out. The rough, sharp texture of Barbaracle's skin left a nasty reminder on the boys not to let their emotions take control of them, and for their Pokemon not to always listen to every stupid thing their trainers tell them to do.

"Josh started it by ruining my tent!" Joey screamed as Pedunan smacked Joey again, knocking the small Mexican child to the floor.

"My Barbaracle does not put up with your bull and neither do I," Samuel sternly informed the boys as he pulled out a ladle and a scooped some food off the table into bowls. "In my tribe acting that idiotic before dinnertime would get you castrated."

"What if you were a girl?" Joey snidely remarked.

"Then you get your head dunked in the Carvanha tank," Samuel told Joey as he handed the boys their meal. Danny got one whiff of the food's intensely offensive odor and passed out, falling backwards only for his Quilladin to catch him.

"Boy Samuel, this looks interesting..." Josh commented as he timidly poked at his meal, terrified just by looking at it.

"What the fuck is this shit?" Joey asked as he held in his vomit. "It looks like you just soaked dead fish in cold water for a week and then called it a meal!"

"That's precisely what I did," Samuel informed Joey as Josh's face suddenly turned ghastly pale. "In my tribe we call this delicacy Lutefisk. You catch some fish, let them soak in a fine tub of arctic water for a good week, and then after adding a pinch of lye and birch ash, you have yourself a fine meal fit for a very special boy, yes!"

Danny regained consciousness and saw the look of disgust in his friends' faces. The last thing any of them wanted to do was piss off Samuel by not eating the Lutefisk, but none of them wanted to eat decomposed rotten fish either. "Hey Samuel," Danny said, getting the big man's attention. "Is this your favorite food back home?"

"Actually that would be Smalahove on Christmas Eve," Samuel commented as he looked up at the night sky. "Now that my friends is a true delicacy. I could go on and on about Smalahove, but alas I do not want to instill envy in your hearts lads."

That was when Joey formed his master plan. "Wow, that's pretty interesting Samuel," Joey commented, grinning. "I don't think any of us knew that Samlahoof was your favorite food, did you guys?"

"No way man, this is my first time finding out too," Danny confirmed.

"Same here man," Josh stated.

"Yeah you know, it doesn't seem like any of us really know a whole lot about you Samuel besides the fact you're a big badass," Joey told Samuel. "What is it like where you're from? Do babies sleep outside in the cold? Did you kill someone at the age of five as some sort of rite of passage? Do you eat dead people to gain their strength?

Samuel let out a hardy laugh in his thick Scandinavian-like accent. "You got two out of three right, not bad Joey," Samuel laughed as he munched down on his Lutefisk much to the boys' horror. "Do you lads want to hear what it was like for me growing up as a campfire story?"

"That would be awesome!" Danny shouted in glee.

"Alright well first we need to have someone start the fire," Samuel pointed out.

"Oh yeah," Josh said as he summoned his Ponyta out from her Poke Ball. "Ponyta, use Fire Spin on the firewood!"

"Neigh!" exclaimed the fiery pony as she stomped her cute diamond-hard hoofs on the forest floor. Suddenly a spiral of fire emerged around the fire wood, engulfing the timber logs in flames.

"Good girl," Josh complimented his Ponyta as he returned her back into her Poke Ball.

"Alright, so how about right from the beginning Samuel?" Joey asked inquisitively. "Did I get the whole "babies sleep out in the cold" part right?"

"Ah you did," Samuel stated, causing the boys' jaws to drop. "Let me as you say, "take it from the top," yes?"

**transition**

A middle aged man and his wife placed their newborn son on a cold cliff that towered over a shallow, spiky section of the frozen ocean below. Their child cried as his mother gently set him down on the fresh blanket of snow. He was still covered in newborn goop and had a clip on his umbilical cord so it would fall off. Wrapped in a fine cloth, baby Samuel cried as his mother leaned into his father's chest. "I hope he makes it Sigmar," Samuel's mother said, trying her hardest not to cry so her tears wouldn't freeze. "It was a miracle we can still even have children at our age. He might be our only shot of passing down the family name."

"Do not fret Lydia," Samuel's father stated as he wrapped his arms around his wife. "I remember seeing him full of life when he was still inside you and he already seems a lot stronger than the other fallen infants you've bore. I just know that little Samuel will be a hardy child. Now come on, we have to go back to guard duty or savages will invade the village."

The middle aged couple walked did not look back despite Samuel's screams. Like every baby in his tribe before him, Samuel would be left outdoors in the bitter cold for a week. Only the strongest babies survived the freezing extremes, and that was just how Samuel's tribe preferred it. Weaklings were not tolerated in Samuel's tribe, since all it took was one weak man to let an evil strong man get his way.

**transition**

"Wow.. holy shit dude that's straight up child abuse," Joey commented. Danny was taken aback at a loss of words while Josh sat silently, looking up and down from his Lutefisk.

"Well you guys circumcise babies all the time after they're born and that seems outright cruel where I come from," Samuel told the boys as he started his second serving of Lutefisk. "We only do that for children where I from yet you people do it to newborns. Absolutely disgusting."

"What does circumcise mean guys?" Danny asked, being as clueless as ever.

"It's where-"

"Do you want to finish hearing about my childhood or know about that barbaric practice?" Samuel interrupted Joey, who instantly shut up once Samuel interjected.

"Sorry, you can continue."

"Okay now let's see, well as you can tell I survived being left in the cold for a week," Samuel stated the obvious. "So now I will share my grandfather's death and my first experience with Pokemon."

"Ooh this has got to be good," Josh commented as he bounced up and down on his log, hyped like a small child injected with a load of candy.

**transition**

Samuel's father barged open the door of his house carrying a large sack that he slammed on the kitchen table. Three year old Samuel and his mother ran from downstairs to check out the loud noise as they saw Sigmar tear the bag open. Lydia's eyes widened when she saw the body inside it: the corpse of Samuel's grandfather Jericho. "Debt collectors found him dead on the floor from alcohol poisoning," Samuel's father stated as he pulled out a butcher knife from the counter. "They tried pushing my old man's debts onto me, but I got them to fuck off thankfully."

"Sigmar I'm sorry, I don't know what to say," Samuel's mother said as she hugged her husband while a little Samuel braced his father's hairy legs.

"I saw this coming since I was Samuel's age," Samuel's father stated as he picked up Samuel and hugged his wife back. "He always loved his Pokemon and his alcohol far more than my brothers and sisters and I. All of that fucking abuse dealt by my father just because he was the regional champion while I was a kid! I know they always say forgive and forget, but ugh, I'm going to throw up during our funeral ceremony for this pathetic creature!"

"Dad was grandpa really mean?" Samuel asked his father.

"Very mean, even more than that Grenwolf kid who bopped you in the face," Samuel's father told him as he set him on the table. "You know Lydia I don't even know if I want Samuel taking part in this ceremony. I heard that alcohol isn't really good for the tykes, and well I can't let Samuel eat solid alcohol, can I? What kind of parent would that make me?"

**transition**

"Oh my fucking Arceus, you actually do eat dead people!" Joey shrieked, mortified at this revelation. Danny instantly let out chunks while Josh nearly fainted when this fact was stated. "You're a sick bastard, Samuel!"

"Oh, and I suppose letting your dead rot underground and be wasted is proper? Or Arceus forbid cremation, now that's really messed up," Samuel defended.

"What is wrong with your people?" Joey cried as he got up and started walking around to calm his nerves. "I was just screwing around and oh my Arceus why did that have to be true? Fuck me, why did that have to be true?"

"Wow you children are being awfully intolerant right now I hope you know," Samuel informed Danny, Josh and Joey, dragging out the O's in his speech thanks to his accent. "I don't judge you guys for how disrespectful you treat your dead in my eyes. You kids know that the method of funerals for my people is perfectly legal, right? The regional government allows my people's practice too since they're a lot less bigoted than you uncultured Swinubs. It's not like we just eat every dead person we come across either, only those close to us in my tribe."

"I don't even know if I want to hear the rest of your back story man," Danny said as he slowly wiped the vomit off his face with a tissue.

"Well it probably can't get anymore fucked up than that," Joey stated. "That was probably the most shocking part of your background hopefully, is it Samuel?"

"I don't know, I'm not sure what gets you kids' panties in a knot," Samuel shot back. "Anyway, can I continue after being rudely interrupted?"

"Oh yeah sorry," Josh said as he drank a glass of water.

**transition**

"Well as long as we make sure not to give Samuel anywhere around the core and drain the blood, he should be fine," Samuel's mother stated. "He should experience this like the rest of us."

"I suppose you are right Lydia," Samuel's father replied as he started making incisions on his father's corpse. "I better call my mom, brothers and sisters and see if they want to partake in the funeral. Lydia, can you grab the telephone from the living room?"

"Sure Sigmar," she responded, walking out of the kitchen.

"Ooh, Poke Balls!" Samuel exclaimed with joy as he pulled a pair out from the bag his grandfather's body was in. He picked them up and smiled, letting out a elated yell.

Samuel's father looked at his son and his eyes widened with fear. "Samuel, put those down now!" he ordered, getting Samuel to jump. In shock however one of the Poke Balls Samuel was holding dropped onto the floor and out of it popped a Jolteon.

"Jolteon!" Samuel screamed as he climbed down from the table to inspect his grandfather's old Pokemon. The electric type Pokemon sniffed Samuel and licked him on the face, making Samuel laugh with happiness. But as Samuel's dad leaped over the kitchen table it was already too late. The Jolteon snapped and within a microsecond bit Samuel directly on the face and began to snarl with hatred. This was no friendly creature but a savage animal that knew only violence and saw Samuel as an opponent. The rabid Jolteon wanted to kill Samuel as its spines began surging with electricity, ready to electrocute the toddler.

Samuel let out a bloody scream and his parents also shouted. Samuel's father quickly pushed Samuel out of the way and picked up the Jolteon with one arm. Although the creature let out a surge of electricity to zap Samuel's father, Sigmar was unfazed and smashed the Pokemon onto the hard tile kitchen floor. Pulling out his butcher knife, Samuel's father hacked away at the electric monster for attacking his child. The Jolteon yelped in pain but deserved everything it got after Samuel's dad was finished killing it. After smashing his cleaver several times into Jolteon's body, Samuel's father slayed the rabid Pokemon. He tossed its body out of the kitchen window with glass shattering everywhere, causing snow to enter the house.

Sigmar sighed in relief but thanks to all of the commotion the second Poke Ball dropped and summoned another Pokemon. This was no usual Pokemon like Jolteon but a powerful legendary that could harness the elements of fire and water to master steam. With a mighty roar the legendary Pokemon known as Volcanion began to glow blue as it charged up a monstrous attack. "Lydia, bring forth Eldfell!" Samuel's father shouted as he began to shield a crying Samuel. She grabbed a Poke Ball sitting on top of a television and chucked it in front of her husband and son.

Blocking the incoming Steam Eruption attack was none other than another Fire type legendary Pokemon known to many as Heatran. She withstood the super effective attack like a tank, unfazed as she knew her master and his family were in danger. Eldfell's head glowed with tempered steel as she performed Iron Head on the Volcanion, knocking it out of the living room. The Heatran rushed through the remains of Samuel's house and jumped on top of the Volcanion as she used Crunch on its oval ring, tearing it off with great force as boiling water poured out and Volcanion screamed in agony.

The Volcanion's body grew hot and became engulfed in flames as it smashed into Eldfell via Flare Blitz, sending the Heatran crashing through several spruce. Eldfell got back up as the nearby northern trees ignited, although the unforgiving blizzard outside was keeping the inferno under control. Knowing that Volcanion had to be stopped before it caused too much damage, Eldfell glowed like freshly erupted lava and unleashed an awe-inspiring spiral of magma from her mouth at Volcanion, directly blasting the steam beast with twenty tons worth of magma with its signature move Magma Storm. Volcanion cried as the magma hardened and burned, leaving a tormenting ring of fire around the terrible beast to torture it. Deciding to finish off Volcanion now, the metal parts of Eldfell's body glowed gold as she stomped the ground, causing a golden fissure to crack through the earth towards Volcanion via Earth Power. A bright holy light radiated from the earth and shined at Volcanion, unleashing the planet's inner light at the unholy Pokemon, obliterating it from existence once and for all.

With the job finished, Eldfell turned around and tended to her owners. Although Samuel's house was wrecked in the process, the danger was gone as Samuel's mother tended to the wound inflicted by the Jolteon. Samuel's father pat Eldfell on the head for a job well done and recalled her back into her Poke Ball. He sighed though and hoped that this terrible experience wouldn't just scar Samuel physically, but emotionally as well as his son kept crying.

**transition**

"Oh shit dude, I didn't know you nearly got killed by Pokemon when you were little," Joey said with genuine concern. "So does that mean you hate Eevee and its evolutions along with Volcanion?"

"Not at all Joey," Samuel informed him. "I have nothing against Eevee and its evolutions, same with Volcanion. Even if your own tiny baby Eevee evolves into a Jolteon, it won't cause any trauma for me."

"Wait, how did your dad have a Heatran and your grandfather a Volcanion?" Danny asked with confusion about the rarity of legendary Pokemon. "Aren't legendary Pokemon supposed to be one of a kind Pokemon?"

"A few are I think, but only a handful of legendary Pokemon are just that, legends," Samuel told Danny. "They are rare yes, but for most of them there's more than one in existence. When my father caught Eldfell, he said she was amongst a few in a group of Heatran at some volcanic island in the northern sea."

"Your grandpa was also the old league champion Jericho from over thirty years ago?" Josh asked as Samuel nodded to confirm this. "Was he really as bad as your father said he was?"

"Probably, although I never even met my grandfather in person back when he was still alive," Samuel admitted. "Around the rest of the region my grandfather Jericho was a very popular fellow, but in our tribe we all viewed him as shit, and even to this day his name does not ring good bells. Thankfully in our tribe having a "bad seed" in your family does not cause you to be vilified for their actions."

"Wait, you also mentioned something about a phone and a TV in your story, right?" Danny asked, which Samuel nodded to confirm. "I thought your tribe was on like Iron Age levels of technology or something like old times."

Samuel laughed as he slapped his knees. "My tribe is well known for producing some of the best computer scientists amongst Kirei you dunce," Samuel told Danny as he continued chuckling. "We're not stupid savages, we have microwaves, television, cars and the internet. Oh boy, let me tell you about the first time I discovered the internet: I had the best week-straight arm workout of my life if you know what I mean."

Josh giggled at this comment as Joey began to open his mouth. "So you're pretty badass with Pokemon now Samuel, so clearly you're far from being afraid of them," Joey stated. "So, how did you get your first Pokemon and which one was that?"

"Ah, that was Lunatel, and I caught her when she was a baby Noibat," Samuel confirmed to the boys as he threw a Poke Ball up into the air, with Lunatel popping out. The gigantic Noivern towered over the trainers and their Pokemon, being unusually colossal for a Noivern. "Lunatel, I am about to tell these boys about the day we first met." Lunatel screeched with glee and flew overhead like a hyperactive child before simmering down to rest and listen to her trainer's tale. This was the equivalent of being right next to a jet about to take off though, so the boys' ears rang like a gong.

"For you," Samuel told Josh. "Now, I was five years old when I was told we would go on a quest for our first Pokemon. Everyone else who was around my same age was rounded up for this ceremony too, the one where we get our first Pokemon."

**transition**

About fifty little tykes, all about five years of age were gathered together outside an elementary school in Samuel's village. Young Samuel was amongst those many five year old children and like the others was filled with excitement as he waited in the snow outdoors with the rest of the kids. Today was no ordinary day for Samuel and the other children. This would be the day they would receive their first Pokemon, or rather go out into the wilderness and befriend their first Pokemon to be more accurate.

"I'm gonna get a Spheal!" shouted one of the little buggers as he jumped up and down.

"I want a Delibird to be my best friend!" yelled a little girl as she started screaming with anticipation.

"Meditite are strong, I hope I find one!" another small child exclaimed as he ran around in circles.

"Hey Samuel," one of the five year old kids said, looking up at Samuel as he caught his attention. Samuel stood roughly a head taller than all his peers, making him a large child for his age. Anyway, Samuel was just as hyped up for wanting to obtain a starter Pokemon like the other children. Although he was in deep thought about the prospect, not screeching and running around like the others. "What is your first Pokemon gonna be?"

"I don't know," Samuel admitted to the other child. "Something special though, not like all of the Ice types everyone always gets."

"Samuel is special!" shouted the one kid who stood a head taller than Samuel. It was Grenwolf, the only other five year old bigger than Samuel, and a lot meaner too. "I bet you're gonna get a crappy Magikarp, it would suit you!"

Samuel grabbed Grenwolf by the collar of his coat and headbutted the giant child. As Grenwolf waddled back in shock, the other kids cheered for Samuel, eager to see a fight between the two most powerful children their age. Grenwolf charged at Samuel like a mad Tauros, but Samuel lunched forward and smashed his fist right into Grenwolf's mouth. "Kiss my fist!" Samuel screamed. Blood dripped from his lips as Grenwolf's face turned red with rage as he picked up Samuel and tossed him to the floor. Grenwolf jumped on top of Samuel as the boys began swinging a fury of fists at each other.

It was only when their kindergarten teacher walked in and saw the brawl did the other kids stop cheering on the fight. "Kids, that's enough!" she yelled, stepping in-between Samuel and Grenwolf, pulling them apart. As she held each boy by one arm, they still kept trying to hit each other, yelling with anger. "Samuel and Grenwolf, it's always fighting with you two! Can't you two not beat up on each other just for one day?"

"Samuel hit me first teacher!" Grenwolf proclaimed as he tried kicking Samuel in the balls.

"Grenwolf called me special and I know that's not a good thing!" Samuel exclaimed as he couldn't stop trying to get in one last attack on Grenwolf.

Samuel's kindergarten teacher tossed him on the right side of the children and threw Grenwolf over by the left section. "You two stay still until I'm finished talking, okay?"

"Yes teacher," both Samuel and Grenwolf said simultaneously.

"Okay, as you children know today is the first today you will go out and befriend your first Pokemon!" Samuel's kindergarten teacher exclaimed, getting each of the kids hopping up and down uncontrollably. "Children, settle down or it's the oar!" she shouted at them, getting her class to simmer down and listen. "Alright, as it is in our tribe's tradition, you kids shall go forth and find a Pokemon to befriend! You cannot return to the village until you have obtained your first Pokemon on your own. Now go, be safe and try not to get killed!"

Samuel and the rest of the children scattered throughout the frosty wasteland, venturing outside their tribal grounds. Many ran off to the nearby icy beaches filled with many icebergs floating around in the open ocean. Others decided to trek through the spruce woodlands, and then some of the kids traveled towards the beautiful tundra plains. But for young Samuel, he gazed out at the vast mountainside west of his village. One particular mountain stood out from the rest in that great range, and that was the sky-reaching Mt. End of Days. Even expert Pokemon trainers were told to stay away from that death trap of a mountain, and Samuel's tribe would rarely venture there unless necessary.

"To Mt. End of Days!" Samuel shouted with all his five year old might as he didn't stop running towards the imposing mountain. The only thing he was leaving behind him was his footprints in the snow. Samuel was headstrong about trans-versing Mt. End of Days, and nothing was going stop this ambitious five year old.

"Mt. End of Days?" Grenwolf asked himself, popping out from behind a spruce. He began to crawl on the ground, directly over Samuel's footprints in the snow. "You're not the only one who wants a good Pokemon," he thought, keeping himself fifty paces behind Samuel as he stalked him all the way to the fearsome and awe-inspiring Mt. End of Days.

**transition**

"No way Samuel," Joey questioned in disbelief at Samuel's story so far. "Mt. End of Days is supposed to host Pokemon so powerful they make the ones at Victory Road look like the kinds on Route 1."

"Isn't it true that pseudo-legendary Pokemon crawl everywhere in that place?" Josh asked as he too was having a difficult time comprehending that Samuel actually explored Mt. End of Days all by himself without any Pokemon as a five year old.

"Shoot, I've heard that legendary Pokemon live on that mountain!" Danny exclaimed with amazement.

Samuel let out another of his thick, hardy Scandinavian-like laughs. "Oh yes, the Pokemon on Mt. End of Days are certainly not one for the average trainer to mess around with!" Samuel proclaimed as he slurped down a bottle of ale. "But yes, I really was ambitious as a little tyke. After all in Kirei the only spot for Noibat and Noivern to be found in is Mt. End of Days. Isn't she more than enough proof that I managed to trek that Arceus-forsaken mountain at the tender age of five?" Lunatel let out an ear-deafening screech of joy as she happily fluttered around her trainer.

"Alright fair enough," Joey conceded, having the evidence of Samuel's claim right in front of his face, forcing himself to admit that Samuel was telling the truth. "Okay, so what happened when you arrived at the base of Mt. End of Days?"

"I was about to get to that part until you interrupted me again Joey," Samuel informed the boy. "Anyway, in a few hours I finally got to the base of Mt. End of Days. As everyone knows the main reason the place is called Mt. End of Days, besides all the danger is the eternal darkness the mountain protrudes. The sky always looks pitch-black around the place like it's constantly night time and no one knows why. Thankfully my mother knew I would probably head towards Mt. End of Days so I had a flashlight with me in my coat pocket. With my trusty flashlight in hand I could see where exactly my little five year old self could enter without getting eaten by some savage Pokemon."

**transition**

Mt. End of Days towered over the landscape and other mountains in its range as it overshadowed the surrounding area at a staggering five miles in height. The mountain range itself was of the colors onyx and purple bronze, and the sky was perpetually filled with clouds the shade of deep space with tremendous thunder and lightning. Jagged, spiky, rough, the mountain had experienced its fair share of wear and tear over the years that did not make it smaller, but only more sinister with every chip that would slide off during erosion. Despite Mt. End of Days' location and high altitude, there was no snow, nor was the place cold. It was not warm either, with an incredibly neutral temperature that was not relaxing, but ominous and put worry into the hearts of men. Like their soul had been cast into the outer darkness after death where they would find no peace, but only anguish. This apocalyptic mountain looked like it could pass off as the brother of Mount Doom (although Mt. End of Days was not an active volcano), and would not look out of place in the land of Mordor from Lord of The Rings. It was not just the most imposing mountain in all of Kirei, but possibly the entire continent as well.

All this only made young Samuel more ecstatic the moment he stepped foot at Mt. End of Days' base, not even slightly intimidated by the mountain that looked as if Arceus abandoned it. He gazed up and saw a small entrance that was just the right size for a five year old him to fit through. "First Pokemon here I come!" Samuel shouted at the mountain, challenging it as he put his flashlight in his mouth and began is ascend up the hellish alp. He climbed on the dark peak, grasping firmly to each rock that stuck out of the mountain, pulling and hopping his way up into the crevice that was thirty feet above the surface. When he finally got inside the tiny entryway, Samuel began to commando crawl through the tight access with abrasive rocks rubbing against his entire body, the diminutive tunnel shrinking the more he moved forward.

When Samuel reached the end of this ever-squeezing access, he had to pull himself out as he flopped twelve feet onto the hard, lumpy black floor. Getting up Samuel only had a few bruises from the fall as he aimed his flashlight on the walls inside Mt. End of Days. The cavern walls were also dark, and it was like aiming a flashlight in a room that was already painted black on all sides. As Samuel looked around at the hell-like chasm, monstrous stomps were approaching him on both sides. In front of him his flashlight reflected off the metallic surface of a heavy metal Pokemon known as Aggron. Behind him was a giant green and armored dinosaur Pokemon that whipped up not a sandstorm but an unnerving presence known as Tyranitar. Within a flash the Aggron's tail glowed silver and transformed into a solid hunk of iron as the mighty beast roared and swung its tail via Iron Tail. The Tyranitar in turn lunged forward with its mouth exhaling dark matter as the creature looked like it was about to rip out a chunck of Aggron's body with the move Crunch.

Samuel jumped out of the way from this titanic battle, running as the two Rock type Pokemon clashed, causing rubble to fall from the cavern's ceiling. When he finally found a place to rest, he took it easy on the ground and noted that it felt like lying down on cold steel. Suddenly the surface began moving, causing Samuel to jolt as he pointed his flashlight at the shiny surface. He had managed to lay on top of a Steelix, and the silver serpent started to burrow through Mt. End of Days. Samuel held onto the metal wyrm and rode Steelix, clenching onto the rough edges of the enormous Pokemon. He continued latching onto the super silver snake for what seemed like hours as the Steelix kept devouring the minerals in its path, while not minding a small child hitching a ride on its back. Samuel wondered if this robust Pokemon would be his first Pokemon. It would truly be an impressive Pokemon to befriend and it would bring honor to his family.

However, before Samuel could try and propose this idea to Steelix, the metallic monster made a sharp turn and sent Samuel tumbling down a hollow shaft. The boy slid and bounced until he fell into a small underground pond that helped absorb some of the impact of his fall. Still, Samuel cringed as he got back up, undeterred in his quest to get his first Pokemon. He took sips out of the mountain water, which was rusty and filled with minerals that made it impure, but Samuel was thirsty and didn't care about the water's quality. Looking into the tiny cavern reservoir Samuel stared at his reflection and saw the scrapes and bruises left on his five year old body, smiling. A second reflection then began to appear right next to him, causing Samuel to look confused as he turned his head. It was an exact clone of himself. "I have a twin?" Samuel screamed, taken back as he threw himself backwards in shock.

The clone of Samuel laughed as it began to turn pink. Not just its skin but the clothing as well that blended back into the body of this creature. Soon it shrank into a tiny pink blob with a smiley face called a Ditto that giggled at Samuel as it oozed into a crack on the floor, vanishing from the room. Samuel was freaked out that there were Pokemon that could shape-shift into people, but took in a deep breath and tried not to think about it too much. He continued walking in the hollows of Mt. End of Days, through jagged tunnels to rocky walls, nothing would stop this determined child from getting his first Pokemon.

"Let me go you dummy!" a voice echoed throughout the halls of Mt. End of Days. Samuel hustled over to the source of the sound and was surprised to see none other than Grenwolf, who was backed into a corner by a blue punching bag Pokemon called Wobbuffet.

"Grenwolf, what are you doing here?" Samuel asked as he stepped forward towards Grenwolf and the tall cyan Pokemon. When he got closer, Samuel felt as if he was trapped. Backing up, Samuel's body hit what seemed like an invisible wall, which was only marked by a shadow ring that circled Wobbuffet. Approaching Grenwolf and the Psychic type Pokemon, Samuel saw what looked like a black tail with two eyes on it behind Wobbuffet. Hastily Samuel stomped on the tail, which made the Wobbuffet let out an ungodly agonizing shriek that sounded like a screaming frog that was being crushed by a tractor.

Within seconds a levitating three headed dragon Pokemon known as Hydreigon came swooping down and ambushed the Wobbuffet by blasting raw dark matter via Dark Pulse at the strange creature. Being hit by a super effective attack caused the Wobbuffet to lose consciousness and its ring of shadow that tagged the boys close to it faded away. The Hydreigon grabbed the unconscious Wobbuffet with its two lesser heads, picking up the knocked out Pokemon and flying away to a different part of Mt. End of Days as the brutal hydra of darkness salivated with hunger. Samuel and Grenwolf both looked up at the ferocious dragon Pokemon and its prey, both boys thankful the Hydreigon decided that a Wobbuffet would be a far more nutritious meal than either one of them.

"That was a close one," Samuel stated as Grenwolf gave him a hard throat-chop that caught Samuel off guard. Samuel began to hack and cough, wheezing as he clenched his neck.

"Now I got the last hit in!" Grenwolf exclaimed as he stuck his tongue out while Samuel continued holding his neck while he exhaled hard. "I'm gonna go get a Pokemon before you do!" Grenwolf then began to run away from Samuel, laughing as he bolted through the caverns of Mt. End of Days.

"Get back here you bully!" Samuel shouted as he managed to pull himself together and went in hot pursuit of Grenwolf.

Samuel continued chasing after Grenwolf through Mt. End of Day's many twists and turns. When it looked like Samuel had Grenwolf corned at a dead end, Grenwolf simply started to climb upwards, which Samuel did the same. As Samuel kept hunting down Grenwolf, the two tykes suddenly found themselves on a high ledge inside Mt. End of Days. The boys were shocked however when they heard high pitched roaring coming from the side of the ledge. Looking over it was a small Bagon nest inside a hole in the cavern's wall, filled with little blue dragons with thick, hard gray ridges on their heads.

However, both Samuel and Grenwolf noticed that one of the Bagons was not like the other. The largest one of the batch was of a Islamic green and seemed to be the loudest and meanest of the bunch too. "Mine, I call dibs!" Grenwolf shouted as he rushed forward towards the shiny Bagon, pushing Samuel down as he made his way towards the rare and powerful baby dragon. The shiny Bagon approached Grenwolf and sniffed the five year old, smiling. "Bagon, shall you come with me?" Grenwolf asked as the Bagon looked back at its litter-mates, and then back at Grenwolf, nodding her head. "Awesome, now let's go home!"

A loud draconian roar echoed through Mt. End of Days that knocked Samuel and Grenwolf to the black onyx floor. An airborne blue dragon with red wings and a hard gray underbelly known as a Salamence, the fully evolved form of Bagon, flew upwards and released a powerful ignited napalm mixture from her mouth in a stream-like fashion via Flamethrower. The incendiary blast of hot liquid struck a wall and caused the dark stone to warm up and glow with a tempered mix of red and blue. "Grenwolf, give her baby back!" Samuel demanded as the mother Salamence kept dashing around in the air breathing fire everywhere.

"Nah, we're outta here!" Grenwolf exclaimed as he grabbed his newly obtained shiny Bagon as they jumped head first off the ledge and into the abyss below.

"Grenwolf!" Samuel screamed as he looked over the ledge and could only see the abyss looking back at him. However Samuel could see a flow of fire approaching in front of him, with Samuel jumping to the side in order to avoid being burned alive by the Salamence. The majestic cobalt dragon still saw Samuel as a threat to her hatchlings as she would not stop her unrelenting fire attacks on the child. Samuel dodged the Flamethrowers, but knew that he could not keep up evading the assault from this dire dragon forever.

However, a swarm of bat Pokemon consisting of Crobat and Noivern came fluttering into this area of Mt. End of Days, obstructing the Salamence's view of Samuel and getting her flustered. Samuel saw this as divine intervention and would not waste this chance as an opportunity to escape. He jumped in the air and latched onto the tail of a Noivern, only slightly pulling the wyvern down as Samuel climbed on top of it. As he mounted the flying noise machine Pokemon, Samuel managed to blend in with the cloud of bat Pokemon. The Salamence once trying to kill him was now standing guard in front of her nest, not wasting her time mindlessly shooting Flamethrower attacks everywhere anymore.

Samuel flew on top of the Noivern as they continued ascending higher up Mt. End of Days. They landed in a the Noivern's nest amongst a colony of other Noivern and Crobat along with their offspring in their nesting grounds. When Samuel got off the Noivern, he found two pups resting in the nest that belonged to the Noivern he hitched a ride upon. One of the Noibat was incredibly large for her species, almost being as huge as Samuel himself, who was already a larger than average five year old human child. The other Noibat was a tiny male with eyes that were completely white, being small and blind, but thankfully had an excellent sense of echolocation.

The larger Noibat looked at Samuel and rubbed against him, licking the boy as she chirped in joy. Samuel laughed and pet the Noibat, who already seemed to have a fondness for him. The mother Noivern noticed the amount of affection her daughter had for the human boy as a tear shed down her eyes. She nudged Samuel and her daughter out of the nest with her wings as she wrapped her dwarf son around with her tail. "Do you want me and Noibat to become best friends?" Samuel asked the Noivern who nodded as her son cried out to his sister. "Is this okay with you Noibat?" The big Noibat looked at Samuel and then to her mother and brother and emitted sonic waves out to them. Her mother rubbed her nose on her daughter's and allowed her brother to also give her a nose kiss as she then relayed another sonic wave back. The big Noibat let out one last sonic wave as she chirped at Samuel, telling him it was time to go.

So Samuel had befriended his first Pokemon, a big but cute Noibat who ecstatically fluttered around him. The two saw a shimmer of light and walked towards it, revealing the moon's glow as they stood on a cliff sticking out of Mt. End of Days. Although always covered in darkness, the moon was in its full state and glowed through the murkiness in the sky. He could see his village from being this high up the mountain as Samuel pointed at it. "That's where we'll live," Samuel told the Noibat as she squealed and continued flying around like a hyperactive child. He looked into the night sky and back at his first Pokemon. "I will name you Lunatel," he said, which Noibat flapped her wings rapturously at, taking joy in her new name. "Now come on, let us go home!" Samuel exclaimed as he extended his arms up above his head. Lunatel flew above him and allowed Samuel to grasp onto her feet as he then jumped off the cliff, with Lunatel rapidly flapping her wings. They made their descent from Mt. End of Days and traveled downwards to Samuel's village in the shadows, both joyful that they became best friends on this beautiful night.

**transition**

"That concludes how Lunatel and I became best of friends," Samuel told Danny, Josh and Joey as he finished eating his serving of Lutefisk as Lunatel licked him on the face. Samuel pat her head as he then said, "Of course after I got Lunatel, I quickly became known as a potent battler amongst my village. Later on in my teenage years my life mostly consisted of a lot of sex. It all started around when I was fourteen, but I don't suppose a group of virgins like yourselves would care to hear about my sexual escapades."

Samuel then noticed that the boys had fallen asleep during his storytelling. He was a bit upset by this at first, but then noticed that none of them even touched their Lutefisk he had spent a week preparing. "Vraaah da da da da!" Lunatel chirped as she saw the sleeping trainers.

"Such exhausted trainers," Samuel said, grinning as he went over to Danny, Joey and Josh and deemed that they shouldn't go to bed hungry. He grabbed the leftover Lutefisk and rammed it down their mouths, with none of them waking up from being force-fed. The boys now slept with Lutefisk still present in their mouths as Samuel then decided to recall Lunatel into her Poke Ball, along with Pedunan who had been peacefully listening to his master's stories this entire time. "I too shall rest," Samuel stated as he crawled into his own tent for the night to slumber.

The next day, all three boys would wake up with a severe case of food poisoning no thanks to Samuel.


	22. A Lesson In Fabulous (Catharsis)

**~In loving memory of Alex~ You will be missed.**

The screen doors of the Pokemon Center slid shut as the trio strolled inside, a sterile scent floating toward their nostrils.

That only made it more surreal, as the three boys had a sickly green tint to their faces with their hands on their respective stomachs.

"Ughh.. we should probably call home to let someone know we're okay.. we haven't done that since we set foot on this anyway.." Danny groaned, plopping onto a couch and curling up into a ball.

"I'll do it.. you guys go sit down, I'll try not to throw up on the phone." Josh could only mumble his response, forcing himself over to one of the phones.

In a booth not far from Josh was a teenager. He looked familiar, though he had long silver hair stretching to his hips.. once he saw the pink scarf, he knew exactly who this had to be.

"Dad! I made it to this fabulous town called Astalero! I'm conquering this region by storm like I said I would!" Isha shouted into the phone enthusiastically, placing a hand on his hip.

An audible, disappointed sigh fell into Isha's ears. "Isha, you don't get it. I don't care, I really don't! If you aren't collecting badges, then don't bother talking to me!"

"Dad.. but! I'm really strong! Why do I have to collect badges to prove myself to you?" Isha hopelessly whispered, his eyes no longer having that flare inside them.

"You don't even have the guts to try and become a champion like your father! The champion of Hoenn needs a suitable rival, but I guess you can't even be that for me! What a disappointment!" His father shouted, only for Isha to quickly slam the phone back into the receiver.

He backed away from the booth, his eyes meeting Josh's, realizing that he had just witnessed what had unfolded.

"Isha? You.. you alright, buddy?" Josh weakly asked, keeping his distance from Isha so he would not disturb him.

"... I'm fine. I'm going to take a walk. A-a fabulous one." Isha replied, flipping his hair with his hand before strutting out of the Pokemon Center.

"... Right,"Josh said to himself, stepping into one of the booths and picking up the phone, quickly dialing his mother's number.  
In front of him was a computer of sorts, allowing him to see his mother. Some other booths didn't have this feature, though.

As his mother popped up onto the screen, a warm smile made its way onto both her and Josh's faces.

"Josh! Why haven't you called?! I've been so worried!" His mother cried, a clearly worried look on her face as she gripped the phone tightly.

"I'm sorry! I've just been really caught up in this journey. Hell, I even have three gym badges, Danny has one pokelympic medal, so let his mom know that!" Josh informed her, obvious pride in his tone.

"Tell me about your journey! Have you made any new friends?" His mother asked, a hand on her chin as she listened intently.

"We met a guy named Joey. He's a bit of a jerk, but he's really nice once you get to know him. Met a few others like Samuel, he seems nice but he's.. questionable. I also met a really flamboyant kid named Isha, and a girl named Grace." Josh replied, the latter part of his explanation somewhat halted in hesitation.

"Sounds like an interesting group of people! Are they all travelling with you?" His mother asked, "That does remind me, your father came back.. I did tell him not to go after you!"

"Thanks for that. Either way I wasn't gonna come along and go back home," Josh said, scratching his cheek, "I'm only travelling with Joey and Danny. A small group is a good group anyway, I was just calling to check up on you. I need to go get rest, I don't feel so good.."

"Yeah, you do look kind of sick," his mother said, leaning in to try and get a better look, "Go get some rest, sweetie. I'll talk to you later!"

"Right. Thanks, mom. See you," Josh nearly hung up the phone, but quickly halted, "I forgot, how's Professor Maple?"

"No one's seen him," His mother said, a concerned look on her face, "Nobody really talks to him, so nobody noticed. Maybe he's on a break, but I'm getting worried.."

"Well, alright. I hope he's okay. See you, mom." Josh said, hanging the phone onto the receiver as his mother waved goodbye.

/

Isha drifted across the town, the citizens of Astalero only felt like ghosts to him. His father's words resonated with him.

He called me a disappointment. A disappointment. I'm a disappointment. He just couldn't stop thinking about it.

Isha jerked his head up, looking both ways before sighing in frustration, "I'll prove it to him.. no, I'll prove it to my fabulous self that I have what it takes! I must find someone to battle! I don't care who it is!"

Isha suddenly whipped around, running down the street in search of something or someone to battle.

/

"Are you awake yet, you gullible fool?" A mocking voice filled Professor Maple's ears, his eyes yanking themselves open.

"Huh… guess I should've known better to trust an old colleague, saying how he made some major discovery. Guess I am a fool." Maple said aloud, surprised to find that his arms and legs had not been binded.

His eyes surveyed what was in front of him, taking in the unknown environment. It was fairly dark, but he was still able to see his hand in front of his face, as well as the other man's face.

"Ross," Maple said lowly with his head hung, "First off, I want to know why you brought me here. Wherever here is."

"Orders. Just orders." Ross shrugged, flashing a cocky smirk to the professor, "I don't know why, but my queen wants a disappointment like you. I don't question her motives."

Maple could only stare slack-jawed, absolutely bewildered as he tried to comprehend what his colleague was saying. "Queen? What are you talking about? Are you delusional?!"

Ross chuckled lightly, his shoes tapping the ground as he circled Maple, "You might think so, but not for long. You will serve her as well. We didn't even bother taking away your pokeballs, because it's not like you can fight back! You're not a threat, not a fighter, you're just a weak fool! A weak fool who doesn't know how to protect himself or anyone he loves!"

Maple's hands curled up into fists, suddenly standing up and kicking the chair towards Ross. "I don't care. I only need to prove that I'm not a fool to myself!"

Ross took a sudden step to the side, clearly intimidated despite the calm demeanor he had attempted to keep as the chair crashed into the wall. "What.. so, I guess you've grown up, even if it's just a little. I guess realizing you're a disappointment to everyone can do that to you."

"Just.. just shut your mouth, Ross. I was a bad friend growing up. I was bad at being a son. Heck, I was even an awful brother because I couldn't help anyone in their time of need! I couldn't even do physical labor without throwing up! I couldn't do anything to save my life, but it's time that changes. I'm going to win! I won't let you beat me!" Professor Maple announced loudly, gripping one of his pokeballs tightly as he slipped it out from his coat pocket. He felt as if he could trust this creature with his life.

Just as Maple aimed to throw the pokeball, the two could hear something shatter in the room next to them as glass clanked against the floor.

"What in Arceus's name was that?!" Ross called out to the other room, nearly jumping out of his skin in terror.

High pitched screams erupted from the other room, which Maple had assumed to be the lobby.

Suddenly, the door had been slammed open as the lights suddenly flickered on. The room appeared to have several cages lined against the walls. Behind Maple was a table, each containing a strange type of rock that could only be assumed to be fossils, with a similar table behind Ross. Along with that, there appeared to be several computers across the windowless expanse.

But, in the doorframe stood a boy with his legs spread wide apart, his hand gripping the side of his shirt as his long silver hair swayed side to side. "I have come to do battle! These others barbarians could not handle my fabulous battle techniques!"

"What in the distortion world, how did you get down here?! We had heavy security everywhere!" Ross yelled demandingly, slamming his fist into the table behind him in frustration.

"Oh, my fabulous Combusken took care of that." Isha said bluntly, the bipedal fighting chicken pokemon stepping in front of him, "They didn't even release their pokemon. What pushovers."

Not just Ross but even Maple's jaw had dropped in pure shock, though he walked over to the boy. "I.. I have no words but thank you, I guess. I didn't think anyone would care enough to come save me!"

Isha stared blankly at the professor, as if he was trying to absorb just what he was saying. "Oh. I was just looking to have a FABULOUS fight!"

Ross shook in irritation as he grit his teeth, "You.. you came here to have a fight?! I'll GIVE you a fight, you stupid brat!"

Maple suddenly cut Isha off from moving any further, his arm extended as his pokeball shook in his hand. "I'm not letting you hurt anyone! Go, Manectric!"

The professor hurled his pokeball onto the floor, the white light emitting from the pokeball taking shape.

In front of Professor Maple now stood a child-sized dog, standing at 4'11. It could only be described as a beast with mix of canine and feline features, its neon blue and yellow coat crackling with electricity and a snarl gracing its face.

Ross grunted as he tossed not one but two pokeballs onto the floor as two more creatures began to take shape.

"Let's see how you do against Rampardos and Bastiodon!" Ross cried with confidence, a wide grin stuck to his face.

First of all, the taller pokemon could be seen more clearly first. It stood at a size of 5'03, its head somewhat hunched over. Its cranium was a dark blue color, having a black band surround it with several spikes sticking out of the band. It roared, its red eyes wide open as its heavy, rock like body balanced itself. Whipping its tail back and forth ferociously, it eyed Manectric.

The second Pokemon was exactly a foot shorter than Rampardos, walking on four heavy metallic legs. Its head resembled a shield, its eyes being covered by four large teeth, though they were not sharp by any means.

"You can't beat me with an electric type, Maple! You might as well give up now! Rampardos, use head sma-" Ross suddenly choked up as Combusken suddenly dashed forward, its two beefy legs smashing against Rampardos, knocking it backwards as it growled in frustration.

"You will not be doing such an unfabulous thing to anyone! We shall fight by side, Professor!" Isha declared, standing right beside the professor as he spread his legs apart once more, "We will be your destroyers!"

Before Maple could register what was going on, the two dinosaur pokemon suddenly charged at Manectric, both of them bashing their hardened bodies against the canine.

Manectric growled in pain and anger, catching itself as it panted heavily from just one attack. It was clear it couldn't take another.

"I was worried, but I guess it was for nothing." Ross said, chuckling as he stared at the two, but looked at the professor quizzically when he had begun to smile.

"You have no idea what you're in for," Maple said, looking to Isha suddenly, "I need you to focus on Bastiodon, since your fighting type attacks will do even more damage against it. However.. for me, I'll decimate Rampardos."

"Excuse me? Decimate my pokemon? Manectric is about to fall over, and you think you're going to win that easily? You're a fool!" Ross mocked him, but at the same time was clearly confident in his battling ability.

"Look at this, then." Professor Maple said, raising his hand. Ross and Isha could both see a ring around his finger with some sort of stone embedded in it, "I embedded a mega stone inside of my mega ring. Have you ever seen a mega stone in action before, Isha? How about you, Ross?"

Ross's jaw dropped again, but Isha shook his head. "I don't know what any of that junk is, but it sounds like fabulous junk!"

"This can lead to something we professionals call mega evolution," Professor Maple said as the ring began to glow, "It maximizes a pokemon's full potential and brings out even more power. But, this can only be done if you have a true bond with them."

"Shut your mouth! How did you of all people get your hands on a mega stone?! Only the best are permitted to have them!" Ross cried in frustration, sweat rolling down his face as his skin turned pale.

"Think I'm lying? Then let's go, Ross!" Maple shouted, raising his fist high in the air as a pink light emitted from inside of the stone.

Manectric's body suddenly flashed white as it roared savagely. Its yellow mane grew across the top half of its body, forming a huge yellow lightning bolt, but forced it to hunch downward. The fur on its legs suddenly spiked up, as the claws on its feet extended and turned to a deep red color, and two patches of yellow fur grew on its front feet. Manectric had grown at least a foot due to this transformation, its eyes staring intensely at Rampardos as the light faded.

Pure electricity crackled off of its body as a golden aura surrounded it, lightning flinging off its extended mane and striking the lights, breaking them instantly as they fell to the ground.

"Not even I can achieve this sort of feat! This is impossible, you're nothing but a fool! You don't deserve this kind of power!" Ross screamed at the professor in disbelief, obviously distraught by the sheer magnitude of power that radiated off of the canine.

"Manectric, use iron tail!" Maple instructed his canine companion, hearing it growl before kicking its feet off the ground.

Manectric suddenly began to spin around, its tail having a silver glow to it before the glow suddenly coursed into the rest of its body. Without any warning, the canine pokemon slammed its entire body into the dinosaur pokemon's abdomen.

Rampardos coughed, the entirety of its body crashing through the wall as it growled in ferocity and torment.

Ross could barely register how fast that the pokemon had moved, his hand covering his mouth as Rampardos made no attempt to get back up. It was over for the rock dinosaur.

Combusken suddenly dashed towards Bastiodon as it stared at its fallen comrade, slamming its chicken leg into the side of its face, sending it skidding across the room.

The fighting fire chicken crossed its arms, clearly proud of itself as Bastiodon struggled to pick itself back up.

"Combusken, use your fabulous double kick again! Teach that ugly thing to not rear its horrid face at me!" Isha shouted, pulling at the side of his shirt as he stared ahead, a flame burning inside of his iris.

Combusken charged ahead once more, slamming both of its feet into Bastiodon's side and sent it flying right towards Rampardos, but stopping short as it fell on its face.

"You're done, Ross," Professor Maple said, walking towards him as his super-powered canine friend followed, "I'm not a fool any more. I'm going to change. The only one I need to prove anything to is myself."

Isha gasped suddenly, his eyes slightly watering as his mind rewinded back to when he was on the phone with his father.

"He's absolutely right! He doesn't need anyone but himself!" Isha shouted with passion, walking towards Ross as well.

Ross gave the two a disgusted groan, his pokeballs suddenly returning the two fossil pokemon to them. "Lady Meredith will hear about this, then you will regret the day you fought back! I should have taken your pokemon!"  
"Yeah? Well, you didn't. Now get out." Professor Maple said with a threatening glare, watching as Ross sprinted away from the room.

Isha raised his pokeball, returning his starter pokemon back to its safe haven. "When you said you only needed to prove anything to yourself, it.. it resonated with me. Can I stick around?"

Professor Maple looked slightly taken aback, but he gave a warm smile to the boy. "Of course you can. I'm going to look around and see if anything can clear up this 'queen' business. Care to help me look through this place?"

"Of course! I will do my job fabulously!" Isha declared, running to the door in search of something that may help.

Maple only looked to his Manectric, running his hand through his large golden mane. "I knew it.. I'm not a fool."

**This chapter was dedicated to my friend Alex, who took her life not too long ago. May she rest in peace. She will be missed.**


	23. Turf War

Danny turned the knob of the faucet, and not a single drop of water fell out. He scowled, turning the knob back and forth, but to no avail.

"Why is there no water?!" Danny shouted in frustration as he stepped out from the bathroom, slamming the door, irritated.

"Huh? What do you mean there's no water? You were probably turning it the wrong way." Joey replied, setting the guide book down as he slid off the pokemon center's couch, and onto his feet.

Josh stood as well, yawning as he sighed. "Well, we can always go to the lake and get some fresh water. It ought to be better than just sitting around."

"That may be your only option, but I think you should be careful," Nurse Joy suddenly spoke up, frowning. "Not too long ago, a feud started between some of the local pokemon. The Trapinch and Vibrava are in a nonstop battle with the Squirtle and the Wartortle. The water isn't working because a Trapinch bit a pipe and crushed it, and well.. I recommend not going to the lake."

"Uh.. why? We have Pokemon, we can protect ourselves." Joey protested, tossing one of his pokeballs into the air, catching it with the palm of his hand as it fell.

"You can't handle so many wild pokemon," Nurse Joy said, then frowned at the implication that the trainer had made, "Do you really intend to fight them? They have babies, and I'm sure the locals wouldn't want you in this town any longer."

Danny paced back and forth, a finger on his chin as he quietly pondered. "We could at least try.. if we have any trouble, we can just run away and wait to get to the next town to get some water.."

"Maybe if you're an idiot!" A booming, yet light, voice hollered from across the room as rushed footsteps made their way across the floor.

Before them was a woman with dark purple hair reaching down to her hips, who had also been wearing ripped jeans and a black t-shirt with what seemed to be a serpent's tail, which seemed to resemble a blade of some kind.

"Huh? Who are you, lady?" Josh asked rudely, looking directly at her, giving the woman an offended look.

"This _lady _is Vicky from the Elite Four, you dolt!" Joey insulted him, his jaw nearly hitting the floor as he shot Josh a glare.

"... Excuse me?" Josh mumbled nervously all of a sudden, tapping his feet as he moved backwards, "Oh.. uh.."

"Yeah, excuse you," Vicky hissed, closing her eyes as she frowned, "Should be groveling in the face of my greatness."

"Um.. sorry to interrupt, but.. we have pokemon to protect us, we can probably go to the lake safely." Danny replied, ignoring her previous comment.

"I don't think you can handle dozens upon dozens of wild Pokemon. But, if you insist on going anyway, do it. Besides, it would be, uh.. uncouth of me, to let you go into that danger zone." Vicky stated matter-of-factly, crossing her arms as she looked at the trio.

/

Just minutes later, the group of four had headed towards the lake, and it seemed oddly quiet as they walked throughout the town.

"Maybe the Pokemon are asleep.." Danny commented with a tinge of hope in his voice, his feet quaking.

"I think that you should bring your pokemon out, just in case." Vicky replied, as if she was dismissing any hope that may have entered the tense atmosphere.

Suddenly, she grabbed one of her pokeballs and pressed the button, a white light streaking outward, slowly taking form.

In front of her now stood a creature that had been a foot shorter than her, also having two purple feet with black bands around them. Each foot had two blue toes, and one red. Moving upward, it had thick purple legs which led up to a thin black band which connected from under the leg, around its arm, and across its face. Its arms were somewhat thick, which suddenly thinned out as it connects to its hand. On its hands it has three sausage-like fingers, along with a sharp red blade in between two of the fingers. Its head contained its two sickly yellow eyes with black irises. It had a thin red line scribbled above its mouth, and has a bulbous red sac on its neck.

"Toxicroak, I want you to guard me. Don't worry about the kids." Vicky promptly ordered her pokemon, which answered by nodding obediently.

Not too long after this, they could see that the lake had been oddly still. Nothing was making a sound, and it seemed that all was well.

"Huh? Maybe they're sleeping.." Danny whispered to himself, the ground underneath his foot suddenly shattering, crunching under the weight.

Before falling, Danny's eyes caught the image of a pokemon, its jaws spread open wide as it looked straight up at him, seemingly intending to sink its bone-crushing teeth into him.

But before this could happen, Josh leaped to him, quickly grasping the back of his shirt in the nick of time, quickly throwing the younger boy behind him.

"You okay, Danny?" Josh asked as his friend nodded, but panted as he looked down at the creature, now obtaining a clear picture of just what it is.

Trapinch's huge head (which is mostly its jaws) made up for the rest of its tiny body, which was round with four stumpy legs, and having a white underbelly. Its eyes were black, with having white diamond-like irises.

"Hmph. Good job, rookie." Vickie reluctantly complimented, stepping over to the hole to see that the Trapinch had been gnawing on a pipe, with water spurting out every so often. "Ahh.. there's one pipe that's been crushed. There must be dozens more."

Joey made his away around the tiny crater, walking towards the lake to see several Trapinch standing at the shore, as well as some other kind of Pokemon..

"Those must be the Squirtle, right?" Joey asked her aloud, picking up his pokedex and scanning the sky-blue tortoise.

Squirtle is barely below two feet, having a pudgy body that's mainly covered by its rock-hard shell. Other than that, it's quite simple, having two legs sticking out the bottom of the shell, and two arms sticking out the top, as well as a tail that is curled inward.

"It's so cute! I just wanna pinch its blue cheeks and spin it around and-" Danny's sudden excited rambling was brought to a halt as a hand slipped over his mouth, jerking him back.

"Be quiet.. something doesn't feel right.." Joey whispered into his friend's ear, slowly letting him go as the entire group observed the situation.

The Squirtle and the Trapinch stand apart from each other, and not long after, buzzing wings could be heard, getting closer, as well as a bigger creature under the water, showing itself.

Vicky quickly took a few steps back and crossed her arms, her Toxicroak doing the same, though looking as if it wanted to help to stop what was about to happen.. though, it was like it could sense its master's intentions.

_Vibrava and Wartortle are arriving, now.. this is going to be a battle for territory. I want to see what these kids will do, first, though.. will they run and hide, or will they cut the shit and fight to break up the opposing sides? We'll just have to see.. _Vicky thought to herself, chuckling mischievously as a single Vibrava and Wartortle moved to the mainland, as if preparing for a one on battle.

Vibrava are thin, dragonfly-like pokemon. Their bodies are very thin, having a pale yellow color to their skin. They have two huge antenna on the top of their heads, and two bug-like emerald eyes. Having four stick-thin legs allows it to move closer, and it also has two sets of wings on each side of its body, and two wings on the end of its tail.

Wartortle are mainly just a bigger version of Squirtle, though with a few changes. Its body has grown by two feet, and are slightly more beefed up, having two thick legs and two thick arms with three tiny white claws on each. Its ears are cloud-like, pointing to straight up. Its tail has changed vastly, its tail darkening and looking as if there are two inward curls, also resembling clouds.

Josh stepped in front of his two friends, putting his hands on their shoulders as he looked at each of the pokemon.

"Guys.. take a good look at each of them and try and see what they're planning on doing. We might HAVE to intervene, especially if we don't anyone to be hurt." Josh warned them, his tone being earnest.

Each of them looked at the pokemon as they walked in circles, as if they were trying to get a good look at which way they would enter, and which part of their bodies they would attack. The look in their eyes could only be described with two words: **pure malice.**

"Hate to say it, but Josh has a good point here.. they might end up killing each other, or even worse, hurting someone innocent.. and I think I know what we should do." Joey grinned widely, cracking his knuckles as he took a deep breath., "Here's the plan.."

/

Five minutes had passed, and the group stood several feet apart from the two pokemon who were just waiting to tear one another apart.

Each of them had a single pokemon from their team outside.. Josh with his Frogadier, Joey with Braixen, and Danny with Patience, his Pidgeotto.

"Brai?" Braixen mumbled, putting a hand on her hip and twirling her wand gracefully, pointing it towards Joey.

Joey bent down on his knee, ruffling Braixen's fur as he began to speak, "When the two Pokemon over there charge, I want you to surround them with a circle of fire. Ya got that?"

Braixen put her wand up to her chin, mumbling to herself before nodding, turning away from her trainer., "Brai brai!"

"Patience," Danny called his feathered companion, which had been hanging onto his shoulder, "I want you to keep the fire in a constant potion so it doesn't spread, and keeps them trapped."

"Frogadier, I want you to put the fire out.. so, why are you guys catching these again?" Josh asked the two of them as Frogadier saluted him.

"Well.. if they're the leaders, I'm sure the others will be discouraged after watching them be defeated. Or they'll be furious. But I'm willing to risk it." Joey stated bluntly, getting into position with Braixen as Danny as his Pidgeotto did the same.

Seconds passed, but eventually, the Wartortle and the Vibrava charged at each other, but Braixen had pointed its wand, and a blazing ring of fire enclosed the two, the both of them suddenly fearing the intense heat rather than the other's attack.

"What?! Are you crazy? That kind of fire will spread throughout the city you imbecile! You can't-"

Joey suddenly snapped his fingers, "Your next line is, 'you can't control it', right? Don't worry, we have that covered."

Pidgeotto forced itself off of Danny's shoulder, flying over the flames and flapping its wings, keeping it in a constant circle of movement.

The controlled fire brought even more confusion to the savage Pokemon, their eyes desperately searching for a way out. It didn't even occur for them to use their natural element or for Vibrava even fly out. The attack was too sudden.

"Pokeball, go!" Danny shouted, tossing his pokeball to the Wartortle, while a separate one was flung to the Vibrava.

"Frogadier, spread out your water pulse and take down that fire!" Josh shouted as Patience ceased to flap his wings.

Frogadier jumped into the air, cupping his hands as water formed between his palms, being larger than usual.

Suddenly, the blast shot out of his hands and spread apart, splashing onto the fire and putting it out with little effort.

However, the two pokeballs managed to tap against each of the creature's. Wartortle being in Danny's, and Vibrava being inside of Joey's device.

_Click.. click.. click.. __**ping.**_

With a smile, Joey bent down and gave a nod to Braixen. "Thanks, girl. You did a great job!"

"Brai, braaiii.." Braixen rubbed against Joey's hand affectionately, smiling with pride as he pressed the button on her pokeball, returning her back to it, watching the other two do the same in the corner of his eye.

/

Danny and Joey picked up their respective pokeballs, with the former slipping it into his bag and the other rolling it into his pocket.

Walking forward, Vicky looked pretty surprised, her Toxicroak sticking closer to her than usual. "I.. didn't expect that from a couple of rookie trainers. You all had a role to play, and you did it.. really well. I haven't been impressed by rookies in a long time.."

Danny giggled, bowing to her in appreciation, the same with Josh and Joey, who were shocked that she even graced them with her compliments.

Vicky looked at Josh, a curious look on her face, but then smirked. "I look forward to seeing you at the Crimson Congregation, or as you might know it, the Pokemon League. You want to head to New Kingston for your fourth badge."

"Thank you so much, Vicky." Josh bowed yet again in appreciation and fear, as if she would abuse his admiration.

"You're welcome.. and oh, word of advice, Dina, the gym leader, uses ghost types. Prepare yourself so you don't get spooked." Vicky's smile disappeared as she started to walk away, waving a hand, "See you later, kids. Good luck."

"... Huh. That was a fast goodbye, but I guess it makes sense, since she works at the Pokemon League.." Josh mumbled to himself, looking to the lake.

The pokemon had ran off during the battle, most likely. Danny walked to the lake again, this time with caution, and came face to face with his reflection in the water.

He dumped his hands into the water.. and no reaction from the wild pokemon. They had done it, thinking the attack had worked.

"We scared them off.. I just hope they can leave each other alone for long enough. We can't stop an entire feud, no matter why that may be. It might just be a type thing.." Joey said, smiling as Josh set his duffel bag down, crashing onto the ground with his friends.

"Well, after this, we should tell Nurse Joy, so she can call someone and get the pipe.. stuff.. fixed. I don't know how it works." Josh replied, watching as Danny tossed off his shirt suddenly, diving into the water.

"WHEEEE!"

/

Not far from them was a shadowed figure, standing on a thick branch and looking at the group through binoculars.

"Heh," they grinned, showing their teeth, "I like these kids.."


	24. Unraveling

A glimpse of a young boy fell from a young girl's eyes, quickly running past several bystanders before slipping between two buildings.

Denise's shadow shifted as she dashed into a narrow alleyway, holding her fragile Beautifly close to her chest, a single tear followed by another crawling down her face as she huffed, gasping for air.

_Why do I keep chasing him? Were his friends right, is something wrong with me? Danny is the only boy my age that's shown care for me.. but I'm not sure if that has lasted.. or if he even remembers me.. _ _it's been a month and a half since we last saw each other.. and now he's here in Hamaradisha.. I can't help it, I love him!_

As Denise's thoughts raced through her confused mind, a shadow came upon her, revealing a familiar face.

She looked up, seeing that it was the girl from back home. The girl grimaced, looking at the Beautifly that was being held in her arms.

"What do you want, P-Penelope?" Denise managed to stutter her name out, obviously pained as the taller girl suddenly smirked.

"I saw you lookin' at that boy. Isn't he that kid that I almost stomped flat? What were _you _doin' sneaking up on him like that?" Penelope chuckled, slipping her hands into her pockets.

"I.. I w-wasn't sneaking up on him, I swear! I was just going the same way, that's all!" Denise cried, even more tears bursting out of her tear ducts, her Beautifly looking up at her, with a saddened look in her eyes, as if she was showing pity on her trainer.

"You're crying? Wow, you're such a bad liar, you little baby!" Penelope taunted, taking a step closer.

"It's none of your business, anyway! Go away!" Denise yelled, gritting her teeth as her tears stained the ground under her.

"Hmm.. nah. I have an idea." Penelope giggled, running her hand across Denise's shoulder gently, "Come on. We're going to go follow that boy of yours!"

/

As the Pokemon Center's doors slid open, three young men walked inside, each of them sitting on the couch on the left side of the room, the three of them panting as sweat dripped down their faces.

"That road.. there might have been no forests or caves, but that road had to be five miles along.." Josh panted, his hand gripping his chest as his heart pumped excitedly.

"It was boring, too.. we should probably let Wartortle and Vibrava out of their pokeballs, actually." Joey suggested, picking his newly-caught Pokemon's pokeball out from his pocket.

Danny clenched his teeth before shaking his head, chuckling nervously. "Heh, I don't think that's a good idea for now. They probably still wanna kill each other!"

"I'm sure you don't wanna get blood all over the floor, anyway." Josh said, tossing one of his pokeballs up in the air, only for it to land back in his hand.

"Well, I'll go first, then. I need to check up on this guy." Joey says, clicking the button on the pokeball, the red light beaming out and shaping itself into the dragonfly pokemon.

"Viii.." the winged insect growled lowly, staring up at Joey with a controlled anger in its eyes, "Bravaaa.."

"Uh, what type is this thing? It looks like a bug type." Josh shared, suddenly slipping his pokedex out from his bag and holding it in front of Vibrava.

On the screen appeared the words: "First type: Ground. Second type: Dragon."

"A dragon type?! Whoa, I thought if anything it would be part bug, but I guess not.. it might be its second stage, otherwise this is just kind of underwhelming for a final stage." Josh mumbled, closing his pokedex.

Joey extended his hand as the Vibrava walked across the table it had been set on, trying to observe all of its surroundings.

"Hey, there, girl.. boy.. uh.. I don't know what gender you are, but I hope you're friendly. Are you okay with-" Before Joey could finish his sentence, he suddenly jumped back as Vibrava snapped its teeth at him, "Well, you're going back in the ball!"

Within a few moments, the red light shot out of the pokeball again, sucking Vibrava back inside of it, its angry look not fading.

"Well, I guess it's Wartortle's turn!" Danny said enthusiastically, the beam from his pokeball forming into the tortoise pokemon.

As Wartortle exited the ball, it had looked both ways in confusion, before realizing that the three had been looking at.

"War.. wartortle.." It seemed to whisper to itself, suddenly grinning as it flexed its thick arms, closing its eyes.

"Is.. is your Wartortle showing off?" Josh questioned, scratching his head as he bent forward, confused.

"I.. I think so." Danny blushed, watching as Wartortle turned around, still flexing, but showing a massive crack in its shell. "Holy crap, that's a huge crack!"

"It looks like it's been there a while, though. I doubt Wartortle is in any pain." Joey assured his friend, seeing that the pokemon hadn't flinched from any sort of pain.

"Well, that's nice to hear. Back in the ball you go, buddy!" Danny cheerfully said, pointing the pokeball at Wartortle, sucking him back into it.

Penelope smiled cheekily, looking over to Denise every so often, quite amused by the fact that she was shaking in her shoes.

"Hmm.. they went into the Pokemon Center! This couldn't have gone any better!" Penelope said, twirling around to Denise, "I have my master plan!"

Denise shuddered fearfully, backing up a little. "W-what would that be?" She asked, her voice shaky.

"So," Penelope said, walking behind Denise and tightly gripping her shoulders, "I'm going to go meet them in the Pokemon Center, and act as a tour guide. You can wait at the cemetery, and.. you'll go after the kid all lovey-dovey, he'll get mad, and you know what happens then!"

Denise grit her teeth, clenching her fist as well, wanting nothing else to shut this girl up with a fist to the face. "You can't make me d-do anything.."

Penelope considered what she said for a moment, but suddenly laughed in her face. "Yeah, right! You're trembling! Watching your little boyfriend losing his shit at you stepping _all over those graves _will be amazing!"

Denise's heart sank into her stomach, baring her teeth but doing nothing to provoke the girl to hurt her. She sighed in defeat.

"Let's get this over with.."

/

The pokemon hospital's doors slid open, with Penelope slipping inside casually, turning her head to the left.

The trio sat there, either looking out the window or scrolling through their pokedexes, taking no note of the girl standing before them.

Penelope stepped forward, her hands on her hips as she gave the trio an innocent smile. "Heya, you new in town?"

"Oh, yeah!" Danny said cheerfully, suddenly standing, "You look familiar, actually.."

"I do? Oh, I'm the girl that was messing with poor Denise when you guys came along!" Penelope replied, frowning slightly now.

".. So you're being nice to us, why?" Josh asked dryly, sighing as he turned to Joey, "She was bullying that girl that stalks Danny. Remember her?"

"Yeah, she was a freak." Joey said bitterly, nodding to his friend as he turned to Penelope, "So what do you want?"

"Oh, come on! It's not like someone can't learn a lesson," she started, "I mean, after a huge Arcanine almost eats you alive, you would expect it!"

Danny nodded, though he put his hand on his chin, seeming to contemplate something. "Well, guys, if she's truly sorry.. then who are we to deny her forgiveness? I say we should forgive her!"

Josh shot a quick, suspicious glare to the girl before sighing. "Fine. But any funny business, and I won't let up on you."

"I guess if you guys will go along with it, I will too." Joey said in agreement, looking up to the girl, "So, what do you want?"

Penelope frowned. "What? I can't show someone around my hometown?" She asked, tilting her head.

"Oh, wow, a tour of the city? That would be awesome!" Danny exclaimed with gratitude, grinning widely.

"Yup, I thought you would appreciate it. It's a big city, after all!" Penelope replied, smiling warmly to Danny, then turned to the other two.

"Well, it couldn't hurt, Josh." Joey told him, being able to see the hesitant look in his friend's eyes, though he tried to reassure him.

"Fine." Josh gave in hesitantly, though looked at the girl with clear suspicion, "But if you pull something funny, you'll regret it."

"Got it!" Penelope said cheerfully, bouncing away to the door, her smile twisting to a sinister grin as her back turned.

"Josh," Joey whispered to his friend, being able to sense the tension radiating from him, "Why are you so pissed? This girl isn't that much of a bitch, right?"

Josh scowled with a sigh. "She is. She likes to prey on the weak.. people like that piss me off to no end. They like to say they're willing to change, but all they do is lie so they can just do the same thing the next day!"

Joey furrowed his brow, seemingly confused.. "I understand that man, but don't you trust Danny's judgment?"

"No, not at all." Josh said bluntly, resulting in a shocked look being shot at him. "Danny is too forgiving, even when he's the one being bullied. Let me tell you a story."

/

_An eight-year-old Danny winced as he was thrown into the side of a tree, a meaty hand grabbing ahold of his hair._

"_Kid, you came to the wrong town." The older, portly boy chuckled, kneeling down to the poor kid. "You can't just come in here and tell everyone about how you're going to be such a great trainer.. you're nothing but a show-off. You should shut your stupid mouth before you get hurt, y'know-"_

_Suddenly, a shoe made contact with the side of the heavy-set boy's head, kicking him off of the frail child._

_Danny looked upward, his fragile body shaking in fear as his hero lent a hand to him. "Hey, you okay? I heard you were new here.."_

_The boy smiled as Danny took his hand graciously, being careful to not slip as the portly buffoon next to him grunted._

"_I-I think you really hurt him.." Danny said worryingly, staring over at the bully as he finally stood on his feet._

"_It doesn't matter at this point. So, what was that about being a trainer.. Danny? I think that was your name.."_

"_I-It is. I mean.. I wanna try to be a trainer, but I really want to be a pokemon athlete! What about you.. what's your name?" Danny asked, suddenly giving the older boy a wide smile._

"_My name is Josh! I really want to become the champion here! That's my goal." Josh grinned, tilting his head innocently._

_Danny put a finger to his chin, looking at Josh curiously. "Is that so? Well, I think you can do it! I think we can both do it! But.. thanks for helping me, Josh."_

_Josh gave Danny a warm smile. "No problem at all."_

/

"Stopping a bully is how we became friends, but I've never been able to stand them.. Danny is a nice guy, but he trusts bastards like those way too much." Josh said, and with the more he spoke, the more his anger seemed to grow.

"I see," Joey mumbled, "Just.. try to hold off, man. It's just for an hour or two, and it'll all be over. Right?"

Josh sighed heavily. "Right. Thanks, Joey."

/

Denise hid behind a cherry blossom tree which had branches that seemed to extend over the entirety over it.

Aside from the enormous tree, it was very hard for the girl to take in just what she was seeing. Dozens of graves of Pokemon and people alike were put here as a result of some kind of war. She thought she had read about it before, but the name of such an event didn't come to her mind.

Next to that thought was the more pressing situation, the fact that Penelope was practically forcing her to step over all these dead bodies, or else she would..

_She'll take away everything.. my Pokemon, my supplies, my clothes, everything.. I hate her.. _Denise's lip quivered, though she attempted to force herself to stop. _I'm sorry, Danny.._

/

"Here we are!" Penelope announced excitedly with both of her hands high in the air as she stood in front of the opened gate. "Hamaradisha City's graveyard!"

The trio stared at the cemetery in absolute awe, their jaws hanging open as they tried to digest what exactly had been laid in front of their eyes.

Dozens upon dozens of tombstones covered the entire vicinity, all of the people that were laid to rest there having the same fate.

"About twenty years ago, Kirei was at war with itself. I believe it was over resources, as the west and east side fought for water and food.. we're cut off from most of the other regions, so it's near impossible to collect anything we needed.." Penelope began, but Joey opened his mouth to speak.

"I read about it before. Kirei was split into two, and is the east side that our government stood with. Kizu is to the east, and the punishment for their rebellion is that they can never leave their continent. Thousands of people died, but they could only have so much space for such a graveyard. I'm sure most of the bodies remain in Kizu.."

The somber atmosphere only became stronger as they walked into the cemetery, as if intense energy was being placed upon each of them.

"Yeah," Penelope responded, her heart beginning to pound as her eyes looked the area over, searching for Denise as she walked, "It's one of the most famous landmarks.."

The further she walked, she was able to see Denise cowering behind the cherry blossom tree. She grit her teeth, frustrated that she wasn't going along with what she said.

Denise tried to wipe the tears streaming down her face away with the sleeve of her shirt, but to no avail, they just wouldn't stop flowing.

Penelope continued to stare in anger before marching over to the tree, leaving Josh and Joey in a state of confusion.

But Danny looked on as his heart throbbed, seeing that Penelope's feet were stepping on numerous graves as she walked.

"What.. WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Danny roared, charging toward Penelope with both of his fists clenched.

"Huh?" Penelope turned around, realizing what she was doing. "Oh, I was being careless.. I'm sorry."

"Get off of the grave. Right. Now." Danny bluntly stated, his voice riddled with anger as he stopped walking, just being a few feet away from her.

Denise peeked out from the tree, walking forward as she sighed, tears streaming down her face as she soon broke into a sprint.

"Huh? Why the hell is she.." Joey mumbled to himself, trying to understand what was happening at the moment.

"Goddammit, I knew it." Josh said, walking to the scene as well, "I knew something fishy was up. Good thing that girl messed up.. Denise must have been a part of her plan."

Danny barely responded as Denise practically tackled him, wrapping her arms around him tightly. "Danny.. I'm sorry!"

"You didn't do anything, Denise.. what did this girl do to you? What was she trying to do? There's a reason why you're here." Danny didn't even bother to move, his eyes attempting to focus on Penelope despite his vision being very shaky.

"She wanted me to walk all over these.. bodies.. she was going to take everything!" Denise sobbed into Danny's chest, at least until he pushed her away and stared at Penelope with pure hatred in his eyes.

"Do you really believe a thing this girl is say-" Penelope was interrupted by a quick shove, falling flat on her bottom.

"I do. Now, get up.. I'm going to teach you a lesson." Danny growled, clenching his teeth as he picked a Pokeball out from his pocket, "Get ready."

"But-"

"NOW!" Danny's voice boomed, stopping everyone in their tracks as his body began to shake, even making Penelope reel back.

Penelope stood up as her bones shook, looking beyond frightened as she rolled a Pokeball into her hand as well. "F-fine!"

"Pokey, go!" Danny called out his partner, the round rodent jumping on his two feet as he stared ahead, "Don't hold back."

"Quill!" The Quilladin nodded, preparing to attack as Penelope threw her pokeball as well, being ready at a moment's notice.

"Kirlia, destroy this rat!" Penelope shouted, the Pokemon bursting out from her pokeball, twirling around.

Kirlia stands at two feet tall and seven inches, and appears to be wearing a white tutu which seems to connect with her upper body, arms, and head. Kirlia has bright pink eyes with black irises. Kirlia has shoulder length green hair, which also covers most of her face, aside from her two eyes. She has two disc-like horns sticking out of her head, and has rather long legs with sickly green skin.

"Pokey, blast Kirlia with grass pledge!" Danny viciously ordered, pointing to the enemy Kirlia as he continued to shake.

Pokey grunts, swiping his tail across the grass, a column of it rising before it flies towards Kirlia, who attempts to dodge.

Kirlia groans as the grass cuts across her face, knocking the telekinetic creature flat on her belly, only for her to attempt to get back up.

"Kirlia, use confusion!" Penelope retaliated, Kirlia's head turning to Quilladin as her eyes suddenly flashed a bright blue color.

Quilladin felt a dull pain shoot straight into his brain, causing him to hold onto his head in discomfort.

"Finish it with this move, Pokey! Pin missile, now!" Danny instructed Pokey, who then stuck his arm out.

Out from his fingers came three slender needles, which then embedded themselves into Kirlia's flesh, sending agonizing pain throughout her entire frame.

Penelope only stuck her pokeball out, dematerializing Kirlia and sending her back into the ball, a look of desperation stuck on her face.

"What's wrong with you?! You didn't even try to knock her out!" Penelope screamed at him, backing up in horror, "You're more of a monster than I could be!"

"You paid your price for what you did to the poor souls that rest here, and for what you did to Denise! Get out before I make you get out!" Danny's voice thundered, making Penelope turn and run from him.

".. Thank you, Danny.." Denise murmured, resulting in Danny turning to her and nodding, "Can.. can I..?"

"Don't thank me, it's what friends do! But, can you what?" Danny asked, still visibly angry though not shaking as much as he was.

"Can I hang around you guys for the next few days? I don't think I'm ready to travel on my own again.." Denise said, poking two of her fingers together.

"Well.. don't try anything weird as hell, and I guess you can." Joey replied, hesitantly agreeing to what she asked.

"You should. After what she tried to make you do, it's only right for us to not leave you all alone." Josh said warmly, accepting her request.

"Looks like you can! Let's head off, then.." Danny said, turning to the gate of the cemetery, starting to walk.

"Danny.. are you okay?" Josh questioned, walking behind Danny with a distraught expression, clearly worried about his friend.

Danny only turned back to him, putting on what Josh assumed to be a fake smile, though it seemed rather sweet.

"Of course I am, duh."


	25. Haunted

Darkness swirled and surrounded a feminine figure as it began to sway back and forth, as many strangely shaped shadows followed it.

Ominous music played throughout the room, echoing out through the cold blackness as the figure suddenly stopped.

"Ah, they're here.." the woman spoke softly as a small, confident smirk creeped up onto her smooth face, "I can't wait to hold that boy's head under my boot."

[Elsewhere... ]

The shining sun hid behind the clouds that were gathering over the city, the blue sky darkening as the afternoon started to fade into the past.

The city itself wasn't too large, but it wasn't small by any means, either. New Kingston had bustling streets with busses and trams making their way down and up its various roads, on top of its buildings which were mostly homes or shops.

Josh sighed as he walked through the gates of the city, smiling warmly towards the city as he stopped suddenly. "Finally, we're here! I haven't seen civilization in so long!"

"It's only been three days, Josh!" Danny protested, the cool air of the evening blowing against his face as he stepped onto a nearby sidewalk while he walked.

Joey snickered, his eyes following Danny. "You know him, he always likes to exaggerate. Ain't that right, Josh?"

"Oh, shut your mouth, Joey!" Josh replied jokingly, making his way onto the sidewalk as well while he looked deeper into the city. "Where's a Pokemon Center when you want one? I hate these big cities.."

"Well, this city isn't really too big," Danny replied, taking the Kirei guidebook out from his shirt pocket before flipping through it, "We could always sleep at a hotel. It'd be a nice to sleep on comfy beds instead of rough hospital beds for once."

"Good idea," Joey praised him, giving him a discreet thumbs up, "Though, I'm sure Josh wants to go battle the gym leader as soon as possible."

"Damn right!" Josh answered enthusiastically, almost appearing to be jittery if it weren't for the fact he looked incredibly determined, it was as if a fire burning in his eyes.

"Well, Joey, could you go get us a hotel? You can call me when you've found one and give me directions, and I'll relay it to Josh! I think I'll go walk around and check out the shops." Danny suggested, nodding as he looked over the two of his friends.

"I'm fine with that. I think I'm going to try and find the gym. So see you guys later!" Josh said, suddenly sprinting away from the two of them in search of the New Kingston gym.

Danny and Joey both nodded at each other before walking opposite directions, both curious as to what the city held for them.

[Ten minutes pass, Joey's point of view]

Joey pushed his way through the door of a five story hotel, the atmosphere of the lobby feeling quite relaxing to his body.

It was what you would expect of a lobby, having white tile floors and white walls, with a ceiling to match. The receptionist sat at her desk, staring at the screen of her laptop, not noticing the young man that had begun to walk over to her.

"Hey, miss? I want to buy three rooms." Joey stated, though the woman didn't seem to budge. He brought his fist up and coughed into it loudly - almost violently - to get her attention.

"Huh? Oh, uh, hello, sir. What is it that you wanted?" The receptionist asked, closing her laptop as she set it to the side.

"I want to buy three rooms, me and my friends will be staying for around a week," Joey stated, pulling out his wallet and slid a few Poke Dollar bills onto the counter, "This should cover this week."

"H-huh?" Flabbergasted, the woman picked up the money and counted. "You're right.. Uh, enjoy your stay at the New Kingston Hotel, sir!"

Joey snatched the keys from her hands before turning around, walking away from the counter. He began to walk down the first hallway, only for a familiar voice to fill his ears.

"Oh, Joey, is that you?" They asked curiously. When Joey turned around, he had managed to see it was Professor Maple.

"Oh, Professor Maple! What are you doing in New Kingston, man?" Joey asked, sliding a hand into one of his pockets, happy to see the professor.

Maple smirked, pleased that the teenager was happy to see him. "Just doing some research on some local species. But, uh, where are the other two?"

"Well, I was just getting rooms for the three of us. Danny is going around town to shop, and Josh should be going to the gym like a reckless dumbass." Joey informed him, putting a hand on his hip as he grumbled quietly.

Maple scratched the hair on his head, replying, "You don't need to be so rude! When you're all done with everything, I want you to come back here. I need to discuss something very important with the three of you."

Joey, curious, tilted his head. "Huh? Uh.. alright, Professor. I'll try to remember to tell them." He agreed, a bit confused by his sudden change in tone.

"Alright, thank you. I'm going to head back to my room to talk to my associate, so I'll see you in a couple of hours." Maple uttered a bit solemnly, turning to walk back to his room as Joey only looked onward, his keys dangling in his left hand.

[Meanwhile... ]

Josh stepped inside one of the trams running through one of the cities, his bag hanging over his shoulder as he looked to the driver. "Where does this tram stop at?"

"New Kingston Gym, home to Dina! Are you a challenger?" The older man asked, his voice weak as he looked at the younger boy.

"I am. Do you got any advice for a youngster like me?" Josh asked, taking the front seat of the tram as he looked out a window.

"Dina uses ghost-type Pokemon, and she's known for being ruthless in her battles! I wish you luck!" The old man replied cheerfully as the tram started to move once more.

Josh felt someone sit in the seat next to him, but he didn't expect what came next when he turned around to see who it was.

"Hey, Josh! You like these fabulous trams, too?!" Isha wondered loudly, throwing an arm around Josh's shoulder excitedly.

Josh, surprised, nearly pushed Isha out of the seat from his pure shock. "Isha, what the hell are you doing here?!"

"I was gonna go to the gym and tell the gym leader her ghost pokemon are so not fabulous! I think her name is.. Dinosaur, right?" Isha asked, putting his index finger on his bottom lip curiously.

"It's Dina, Isha," Josh responded, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance, "Don't you have anything better to do?"

"Not really!" Isha exclaimed honestly, moving one of his hands to flip his long, silky dark hair behind his shoulder, "So I'm coming with you, my not so fabulous friend!"

Josh began to grit his teeth, clearly irritated as Isha began to poke and prod at his chest. "Okay, I get it! You can come, as long as you don't get in the way of my battle."

"Yay!" Isha cheered, laying back in the seat as he propped his feet up on top of it, his hands behind his head as he stared ahead.

[A few minutes later... ]

The tram came to a sudden stop, the old man driving it started to stare back at Josh and Isha. "Here's your stop, kids!"

Isha scooted out of his seat and practically danced out of the tram, followed by Josh who had been following rather quickly, visibly eager for the upcoming battle.

Looking forward, the building looked just like any other one. It had a steel door, the building seemingly made out of bricks that had been painted white.

To the left of a door was a sign that read: New Kingston Gym, Home to Dina, the Brutal Ghost Pokemon Master.

Josh smirked, attempting to hide his excitement as he walked closer to the door. "Seems normal, but it's time to expect the unexpected. Come on, Isha!"

Isha ran inside as Josh pushed the door to the side, trying to get a good look at the gym. It seemed fairly normal. It had wooden floors, bleachers to the left and right of him, and there was a woman standing in the middle of the room.

"Welcome, challenger!" The woman shouted. Her hair seemed very thick, it being long and dark brown in appearance as it nearly fell to the middle of her back. With it, she wore a black leather jacket with a black t-shirt under it, as well as a pair of blue jeans and black boots to match the jacket, "I was told to expect your arrival! You're Josh, correct? I'm Dina, the New Kingston gym leader!"

Josh's emerald eyes attempted to scan her. She was confident, that's for sure, and she clearly had a reason for that. "I'm Josh, yeah. Someone told you about me? Guess they're worried about how fast I've been beating you guys."

"Now, don't get cocky, kid." Dina smirked before snickering, taking a pokeball out of her jeans, rolling it around in her hand. "You've had a few slip-ups like everyone else. I'll see to it that I'm the strongest trainer you've fought yet. After all, you've just hit the halfway mark. I've been instructed by Victor himself to give you everything I got, so that's what I'll do."

Josh felt a twinge of fear at the mention of Victor. Was it the Victor he was thinking of? Because he knew the champion of Kirei shared that very same name. Regardless, he couldn't help but shake in his shoes for a second or two.

"Alright.." Josh murmured to himself, his eyes following Isha as he scooted to the bleachers to the left, his hands on his cheeks, "Isha, don't come down here. I have a feeling things are gonna get ugly."

"You have no idea, kid." Dina's smirk suddenly faded as she gave a slight nod towards Josh, her foot suddenly stomping onto the gym floor. "Lights out!"

"Huh?" Josh wondered aloud, clueless as the lights in the gym suddenly shut off, leaving the two of them in utter darkness, though a monitor appeared in front of Isha, showing the two of them.

"Oh, this is wonderful!" Isha commented, laying back as he stared up at the monitor, a growing smile on his pleased face.

"You better be ready, Josh! Go, Doublade!" Dina shouted as she tossed out her pokeball, a dim light growing across the poorly lit room as the pokeball opened up on the floor.

Out from the ball came two sheathed swords attached to one another, both of them stuck to a plaque of some sort. Each had an intricate design on their sheath, and had a singular pink eye with a black iris near the top. From each of the swords came a purple tassle that slowly brightened as it continued, eventually brightening to a pink color.

_Doublade, the sword Pokemon. The complex patterns of its two swords are unstoppable, even for an opponent greatly accomplished at swordplay._

"Doublade, huh? Well, go, Pancham!" Josh shouted back, tossing his pokeball onto the hard gym floor as his panda bear partner was released from his ball, his tiny black fingers tipping the half cap on its head.

"Using a fighting type against a ghost type, huh? Kid sure is strange, he must have something up his sleeve.." Dina muttered, keeping a close eye on the panda bear pokemon. "Doublade, use swords dance!"

Doublade started to move throughout the shadows as if it were second nature, the sheathed swords spinning around as Josh started to ball his hand into a fist.

"Pancham, I need you to trust me. Rush Doublade!" Josh ordered, his eyes focusing on the weaving pair of swords as Pancham nodded, dashing towards its enemy.

"The hell? Doublade, hurry and use shadow sneak!" Dina commanded her partner, watching as it departed into the shadows to the right of Pancham.

Pancham suddenly stopped in its tracks, looking both ways in confusion. Suddenly, Doublade came out from the left, striking Pancham in the abdomen heavily with the side of its body.

"Now, aerial ace!" Dina shouted, not letting Josh get an opening in on her. Doublade floated backwards, only to try and bring its sheathed blade onto Pancham's smaller body.

"Pancham, foul play!" Josh managed to yell at the very last moment, a dark Purple energy forming in the panda bear's hand as it reached out, stopping Doublade in its tracks.

Doublade suddenly cried in anguish as what seemed to be dark purple electricity coursed through its metallic body, causing it to fall to the gym floor due to the overload.

"Huh? Oh, I see.. Foul Play takes my Pokemon's attack and turns it against them. Smart kid.." Dina praised him quietly, tossing out another pokeball after returning Doublade to its own, "Golett, I choose you!"

Golett stands at about three feet tall, and seems rather bulky despite its small size. In coloration, it is a mix of a lighter blue and a darker blue. Its body is mainly spherical. It has four brown, seemingly leather straps coming from all four corners of its body, meeting at a blue square with a yellow swirl in the middle.

_Golett, the Automaton Pokemon. The energy that burns inside it enables it to move, but no one has yet been able to identify this energy._

"Golett, use shadow punch!" Dina instructed the clay golem, watching as it sank its head into the floor, leaving Josh confused.

"Huh? But.." Josh looked towards the Golett, only to be distracted from it as a disembodied, black hand flew out of the darkness and landed on Pancham's left cheek. "Shit, I'm sorry, Pancham!"

"Pan.." Pancham gave him a thumbs up, turning back to Golett as the fist suddenly stopped in midair, as if it was waiting for Golett's orders.

"Pancham, grass knot!" Josh directed his partner, watching as Pancham extended out his arm as he ran towards Golett.

Golett, as it stared down, began to sweat a little. It watched as two vines slipped out of the ground beneath it, entangling its feet as it suddenly jerked forward, forcing the heavy golem to fall flat on its face.

"Your Pancham knows grass knot? You're a smart kid.. Since Pancham isn't very fast, you sacrificed that for strategy. I like you!" Dina praised him, smiling confidently at Josh as the shadow hand dissipated into the air.

"You flatter me," Josh replied, smirking, "But that won't get you anywhere in this battle. Pancham, charge!"

"Golett, use magnitude, quickly!" Dina decreed, watching as the clay golem put its heavy hands on the floor. It began to vibrate violently, the shakes making their way to Pancham as it started to wobble back and forth.

Pancham suddenly slid as it fell, falling unconscious - though it was the same case for Golett, who also took the heavy hit.

"Return!" The two of them said simultaneously, the red beams from their separate pokeballs taking their partners back into their rightful rest.

"No rest for either of us! Go, Haunter!" Dina yelled excitedly, it was almost as if she was having the time of her life in this battle.

Out from the ball came a Pokemon that was purple in coloration, having a gaseous body as well as it hovered above the floor. On each side of its headed are three jagged protrusions, its eyes being large and triangular with small pupils. Haunter has an obscenely long tongue in its pink mouth, which holds several pointed teeth.

_Haunter, the Gas Pokemon. It licks with its gaseous tongue to steal the victim's life force. It lurks in darkness for prey._

"Raichu, go!" Josh cried, his two foot tall electric mouse spiraling out from its pokeball, electricity surrounding its plump body.

The room began to light up from the sheer power that radiated from the electric rat, much to Josh's pleasure. Raichu stared at Haunter with determination on its chubby face.

"Raichu, use wild charge!" Josh ordered as he pointed his finger towards the gaseous ghost, watching as Raichu covered itself in electricity as it dashed on all fours towards Haunter.

"Counter with venoshock, Haunter!" Dina commanded hurriedly, her ghost partner opening its mouth wide as a sickly green glob shot out from its pink mouth.

The glob of poison slapped against Raichu's back, causing it to cry out and wince in pain, though it didn't stop for a second. Raichu slammed its electrified body against Haunter,

Haunter cried out in pain but immediately retaliated as a dark energy surrounded one of its floating hands, its claws suddenly raking against Raichu's side, the pain being enough for Raichu to jump to a safe distance.

"Raichu, can you keep going?" Josh questioned, getting a confident nod in response from his electric rodent. "Alright.. Hit that Haunter with thunder wave!"

A bright, yellow aura surrounded Raichu before it yelled loudly, sending four bolts of electricity from its light yellow cheeks.

Haunter attempted to dodge out of the way, weaving in the air only for the bolts of electricity to bind Haunter's body, one by one.

"Haunter, shadow ball!" Dina commanded, clearly tensing up as a ball of purple energy began to form at its mouth, only for it to dissipate as the gaseous mass flinched.

"Raichu, thunderbolt!" Josh instructed his partner, smirking as Raichu jumped high in the air as it cried loudly, a large bolt of lightning crashing down onto Haunter, smoke beginning to rise from its gaseous body from the sheer power coursing through its body.

Haunter moved left and right weakly, though fell to the ground weakly, unconscious. "You did well, Haunter. Return." Dina murmured, sending Haunter back to its pokeball.

"So is this battle over yet, Dina? I still have three Pokemon left, and you have, what, one?" Josh teased, a poised air surrounding him.

"Don't underestimate your opponent, kid, even when it seems like you're about to win! Go, Trevenant!" Dina shouted assertively, tossing out her final pokeball.

Trevenant is a slender tree with brown bark covering the majority of its body, and it stand on six roots that bend like an arachnid's. Its bark breaks in various places, showing nothing but shadow. On the top of its body is shadow with a menacing red eye in the middle. Its head has two jagged branches protruding out from each side, having a few tiny leaves on each. On top of its head is a smaller jagged branch with a bush behind it. From its sides it has two long arms which form into sharp claws, both having lush bushes before meeting the three fingered claws.

_Trevenant, the Elder Tree Pokemon. It can control trees at will. It will trap people who harm the forest, so they can never leave._

"Use horn leech, Trevenant!" Dina yelled, pointing at the rodent. Trevenant's spider-like legs scuttered to Raichu, bending its head down as it grabbed each side of the rodent, stabbing its chest with its middle branch.

"Raichu, break free! Thunderbolt!" Josh shouted worriedly, watching as green orbs of energy flew into Trevenant, despite the lightning coursing through its body.

Raichu murmured for a moment, attempting to swing at the ghost pokemon, but to no avail. It fell flat on its face, its energy drained.

"Damn it," Josh murmured, pointing his pokeball towards Raichu before it sucked it back up, "That's a grass type move.. That means Frogadier won't do much good here and is guaranteed to get knocked out in a single blow.."

"What are you mumbling about, kid? Have you given up?" Dina taunted as Trevenant slid back in front of her, its claws eager to sink into something.

"Far from it," Josh replied, sliding a pokeball out from his pocket, "I only have one shot at beating you, so here it goes! Go, Ponyta!"

The fire horse neighed as it landed on all four, staring straight ahead at the ghostly tree that had been wiggling its three fingered claws.

"Flame wheel, Ponyta!" Josh directed. Ponyta galloped towards Trevenant, its body being slowly engulfed in flames as they began to spin.

"Phantom Force!" Dina cried out, watching as Trevenant suddenly slipped into the shadows, causing the fire horse to suddenly stop, the torrent of flames dissipating.

Suddenly, Trevenant slipped out from below Ponyta and slammed its left claw against its underbelly, though a small bit of fire scorched that limb as its red eye widened from the burning sensation.

"Ponyta, use flame charge!" Josh reacted, smiling brightly as Ponyta caught itself in the air, a shield of flames covering the front of it as it fell back down, slamming against the top of Trevenant's head.

Trevenant growled before one of its claws suddenly gained a green aura in the form of a stump, slamming it upon Ponyta's left side as flames licked at its bark-like skin.

Ponyta, though not affected by the attack much, jumped back and panted heavily. Trevenant did the same, flames still running through its body.

"Trevenant, use Forest's Curse!" Dina cried as purple roots suddenly broke out from the gym floor, wrapping Ponyta's legs up tightly, "Now, phantom force!"

Trevenant suddenly sank into the shadows. Seconds passed as it waited for a perfect opening as Ponyta struggled with the roots holding it back.

"Ponyta.. Use fire spin to light the room up!" Josh shouted in desperation, a cyclone of fire erupting from the steed's mouth as it spun onto the floor, lighting up the room completely, showing that Trevenant was just a few inches away from the fire horse, "Now, blast it with inferno!"

As an eruption of blue fire shot straight at the menacing elder tree, Dina shouted for Trevenant to run away, but to no avail. The fire engulfed Trevenant completely, charring its skin as it fell hard on the cold floor, the blue flames on its body slowly dissipating.

Dina looked down almost formally as the red beam from her pokeball sucked Trevenant back inside as Josh did the same to his Ponyta.

Slowly, she walked over to him, holding something out in her hand as she sighed. She slowly looked up, a wide smile on her face. "You did well, Josh. I present to you the Banshee Badge!"

As Josh took it in his head, he managed to get a good look at it. It was in the shape of a purple figure with two sharp wings stretching out on both sides and two red eyes where its head should be.

Josh smiled warmly as he quickly inserted in his badge case, now taking up half of it. "That was so intense.. I didn't think I would win, but wow. You're a great trainer, Dina, there's no denying that."

"As are you," Dina replied, bowing respectfully to the boy, "I suggest you head to Deliburg City for your next gym battle. Dustin may not seem like much, but he handles fairy-type Pokemon really well."

"I'll keep that in mind! See you!" Josh said before looking up at the bleachers, noticing that Isha was combing his hair absentmindedly, "Hey, we're going!"

"Huh?" Isha wondered, his eyes suddenly focusing in on Josh. "Oh, I was just fixing my fabulous hair! Coming!"

Isha quickly hurried out of the gym right as Josh made his way out, the bright sun hurting his eyes before he was able to cover them.

"Ah, shit.." he murmured, obviously annoyed as he turned from left to right, "I wonder what there is to do now, besides wait for that phone call.."

[Elsewhere…]

Danny wandered through the overflowing streets, almost suffocating if it weren't for the fact that he was determined to get through this.

Suddenly, the crowd he was stuck in stopped as loud, aggressive shouting had begun to echo throughout the city.

Danny attempted to get a good look as he pushed his way through the stagnant crowd, his hazel eyes locking in on the scene.

What he saw was odd, but he was sure it was a pokemon. What appeared before him seemed to be a monkey. Its lower body was a bright red, as well as its top half. Its ears had bright orange circles in them. It had a cream colored belly, its arms sharing the same color. Those stretched into hands that resembled mittens. It had a red swirl atop its head as well as a short tail that resembled an arrowhead.

_Pansear, the High Temp Pokemon. Very intelligent, it roasts berries before eating them. It likes to help people._

Danny noticed that it had a brown bag slung over its shoulder, its black eyes staring straight ahead, a tinge of fear on its face. It was so skinny to the point that it looked as if its ribs were about to explode out from its body.

A man stomped out from the shop, having what seemed to be a whip hanging over his shoulder. The Pansear backed up a little, the sack it was holding nearly falling out of its grip.

Danny felt his gut churn as he looked at the ongoing scene, but he suddenly took off, his feet not stopping for anything as he stopped in front of the Pokemon.

"Eh? What are you doin', kid?" The man asked, chewing loudly as his lips smacked, the whip on his shoulder slowly moving. "Mind yer own business."

Danny began to sweat, thinking to himself. _I don't need to get into a fight. I just need to pick up this Pansear and run, but I'm sure this guy can catch up to me.._

When Danny got a good look at him, the man was built fairly well, having very broad shoulders. "What did this Pansear do to you?" He asked a bit quietly, gritting his teeth.

"It stole a bag of rolls from my shop," the man replied, the smacking of lips infiltrating Danny's ears, irritating him, "So back off. It's a damn thief!"

Danny, without a second to waste, tossed out a pokeball. Suddenly, his enormous bird Pokemon flew out from the ball, hovering in the air as it batted its wings.

"Pidgeotto, carry us away!" Danny told his Pokemon hurriedly, picking up Pansear before hopping onto his trusty partner.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?!" The man cried out, lashing his whip at Pidgeotto before it suddenly took off, the blast of air knocking the man flat on his rear.

[At the hotel…]

Josh hurried into the hotel, holding up his badge case victoriously, dancing around the lobby as he noticed Joey in the corner of his eye.

"You won the badge, I guess?" Joey asked, giving Josh a confident smirk as he slapped his back, looking both ways. "Uh, where's Danny?"

"Don't know," Josh answered, though he was quickly interrupted as the front doors flew open, "Huh? That could be him."

He looked at the person who had just entered, and it was indeed Danny, holding the Pansear from before in his arms.

"Hi, guys." Danny panted out, though he took a seat on one of the nearby cushioned chairs, staring up at the ceiling. "How did your days go?"

"Are you all here?" A familiar, lush voice asked as someone else stepped out from the hallway, which turned out to be Maple. "Oh, you're all here! Joey didn't even have to call."

"Professor? Why are you here? Danny, why do you have a monkey in your arms?" Josh asked quizzically, looking back from the professor and to Danny.

"You can talk about that later," Maple answered, turning his back on the three of them. "A friend of mine needs help, and I think it's about time you meet him."

The trio remained silent, looking upon Professor Maple to give them some more info as he fell silent, though his mouth opened once more.

"We're going to infiltrate Team Masquerade's base."


End file.
